Nothing Will Bring Us Down
by TerraClara
Summary: Starts at the Kurt/Blaine/Karofsky encounter on the stairs in NBK. When Karofsky shoves Blaine into a fence, Blaine has a weird reaction. Why? Kurt attempts a surprise date, but it goes wrong. Full summary inside. Klaine.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Starts at the Kurt/Blaine/Karofsky encounter on the stairs in NBK and goes AU from there, but not too badly. When Karofsky shoves Blaine into a fence, Blaine has a weird reaction. Why? And when Karofsky takes a special liking to Blaine, what happens? Kurt attempts a surprise date, but it goes wrong. Some unwanted groping is involved when Blaine tries the same. Which Warbler has it out for Kurt, and why doesn't Blaine want Kurt to meet his parents? Will they make it to a one-month anniversary? Blaine has nightmares; Karofsky's dad is head of the school board.  
><strong>…Epic summary is epic.<br>Rating: **M**  
>Genre: <strong>Romance/Drama/Humor**  
>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Glee (though my friends and I are planning on carrying out an evil plan to steal it next Tuesday), Adam Lambert, Time for Miracles, or anything else in here that you recognize, besides my writing style. I do own my cat, though. And Hassen (jerk.), Dorma, and the random secretary. Yes.**  
>Warnings:<strong> Bad language, male/male relationship, non-graphic rape, unwanted groping, situations of peril, general homophobia, awkward!clueless!Burt.

**I made Blaine approximately one inch taller than Kurt in this. Don't shoot me.**

**xxxxx**

Kurt hadn't wanted Blaine to come. He had tried to convince him that he could do it on his own, confront Karofsky. But Blaine saw through his lies. And he knew about the kiss, the one Karofsky had stolen. Blaine knew how messed up Kurt was after that.

The pair turned the corner of the stairwell. There he was, framed against chain-link and dreary skies. Blaine felt his temper heat up.

"Hey! Is this your little boyfriend, Kurt?" Karofsky sneered at them.

"No use pretending. I know what you did." Blaine kept the anger out of his voice. He continued up the steps, carefully inching toward Karofsky.

"And what was that, fag?" Blaine narrowed his eyes, but Kurt butt in before he could say anything derogatory.

"You kissed me."

Karofsky glanced around, panicked. "What are you talking about?"

"There's nothing wrong with being like this, Dave. There must be someone you can talk to. Someone to help you." Blaine tried to be soothing. He was around a foot from Karofsky, now. And for some reason, he didn't expect him to turn violent. Blaine was suddenly slammed against the chain-link fence harshly.

"I don't need help, fag." That word again. Blaine held his hands up in surrender. He hoped they weren't shaking as much as he thought.

_Why did he decide to walk home alone? He should've gotten a ride… It's late. What was that noise? He whirled around. _Crap. _Those jocks from school. His stomach fell through his feet._

"_Hey, Blaine." One taunted, laughing._

"_Blaine. That's such a faggy name." They all chuckled. And came closer._

"_Wait, what are you guys doing? Don't get near me!" Blaine shouted._

"_Shut up, homo. Speak when you're spoken to." Their leader snapped at Blaine._

_**Flash**_

_Blaine couldn't understand why they were hurting him. A constant, everyday torrent of pain. Bruises he was surprised no one noticed. Hurt._

_**Flash**_

"_Look, guys, it's the queer again." They laughed at him. Blaine was already miserable; he didn't need these _bastards_ tormenting him, too. And he broke. He flew at their leader with his fists, swinging wildly, hitting the guy over and over. His cronies pulled Blaine off him, and held the helpless boy steady. A slap cracked Blaine's head to the side._

"_You deserve this, homo." Another slap, a punch to his stomach. Unbearable pain. Stars. He fell, no longer supported by the other guys, to his knees, coughing, choking, needing air._

"_It's your fault for being a buttmuncher."_

_**Flash**_

"_Hey, lady!" Blaine turned. He didn't know why, and he wished he hadn't. One guy, advancing on him. Jacob Hassen, (1) from school. The huge jock got closer, and closer, and closer. Blaine backed into unforgiving brick. Why was he even _in_ this alley, anyway? Stupid, stupid._ _Hassen smirked._

"_You like taking it up the butt, that's what you're gonna get." Blaine's eyes widened._

_**Flash**_

_Blaine's mom signed the paperwork, and handed it to the headmaster of Dalton. "My son's been through a lot. Please take care of him." He assured her he would. Blaine hugged his mom goodbye silently, not trusting his voice._

_**Flash**_

Kurt shoved Karofsky away from Blaine, with strength he didn't know he had. Karofsky looked at him, and left. Blaine let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"A-are you alright? You seem… kind of messed up." Kurt was looking at him worriedly. Blaine forced a smile.

"I'm fine." _Damn. _His voice was wavering. Now Kurt would know how badly he was affected by Karofsky's shove. Kurt didn't say anything, just took Blaine's hand and led him to his car. He sat Blaine in the passenger's side seat and got in behind the wheel.

"Now, what's actually wrong?" Kurt's voice was kind. That did it. Blaine sniffed once, and started sobbing. His head fell into his hands and his body was racked with sobs.

When he had calmed enough to speak, he whispered hoarsely, "Just… memories. Brought back by that bastard. That's all."

"What-what sort of memories? Please tell me, Blaine," Kurt pushed softly.

Blaine whimpered. "Of times before-before Dalton. Sort of like what just happened… But worse."

Kurt just waited patiently for Blaine to begin.

"At my old school, a year and a half ago, I was bullied, a lot. I wasn't what you call popular. No, far from it. Freshman year was fine, great, even. And then, I came out. I had known for a while, as had my parents and brother, Darren. They were great, super accepting… Anyway, I told a close friend, whom I thought I could rely on, that I was gay. The next day, the whole school knew. I lost that friend, and all the others. I was kicked off the lacrosse team when Coach found out. He said he didn't want a 'Prettyboy' changing with his players." Blaine laughed harshly at Kurt's pained expression. "Oh, it gets worse." He looked down.

"One day, I was walking home from somewhere and I heard voices behind me. I turned, and four members of the football team were behind me. They taunted me, teased me. Thankfully, nothing more. But, after that, they got more confident. I was always covered in bruises, always. I was used to it by then.

"But once, I was alone, again, and those same four guys were there again. And I snapped. I punched one. Got in three or four good hits before his lackeys grabbed me. You know, it isn't really fair, four against one. But they didn't care. The guy I punched, their leader of sorts, slapped me twice across the face and got me in the stomach. I just remember not being able to breathe. God, that's the worst feeling. They dropped me, and left me there.

"And three weeks later, the worst came. I was at a movie, see, and someone offered me a ride. But it was so nice out, and I decided to walk. There were so many people out; I thought it would be safe. Wrong. Someone called to me, a 'Hey, Lady!'. Why the _hell _did I turn? It was this jock, Jacob Hassen. I thought he would just punch me and be through with it. Nope. He backed me up into an alley that was inconveniently placed nearby. He said, "Y-you like take-taking it up… up the b-butt, that's what y-you're gonna g-get." And then, he-he-he r-raped me." Blaine broke down in tears again. Kurt gasped.

"Oh, oh, Blaine. That's… Oh, I'm so, so sorry. How-how did you live through that? Oh my god."

Blaine shook his head slowly. "I almost didn't… He-he left me there, bleeding, unconscious. Someone must've called an ambulance. I didn't wake up for three days.

"No one knows. I mean, they know I was beaten, but not r-raped. You're the first to know."

Kurt scrunched up his eyebrows and pulled the broken Blaine to his own seat, wrapping his arms around him. The older boy leaned into him, and Kurt didn't even think of the tears stains on his new Marc Jacobs sweater. They both jumped at the sharp rap on the car window. Kurt placed his hand on Blaine's head and looked out the window, glaring. He was met with a smirk. _Karofsky._

Kurt softly moved Blaine to the side, whispering that he would be back in a minute. He opened the door and got out, closing it behind him so Blaine wouldn't hear.

"What do you damn want, Karofsky?" Kurt noticed that there was no one else in the parking lot.

Karofsky ignored Kurt and looked past him, at Blaine, who had curled up on Kurt's seat. "Aw, did I upset your boyfriend?" He laughed.

"One, he's _not_ my boyfriend and you shouldn't be _jealous_. Second, why would you even care?, and third, _get the_ fuck _away from me_!" Karofsky looked stunned. Kurt never, ever used language like that.

"I'm not jealous, fag!" He slapped Kurt in the face with so much force that he fell backwards, crashing into his car and sliding to the ground. Blaine was jostled, and his head darted up. He opened the door, careful not to hit Kurt, and stepped out gingerly.

"Kurt! Kurt, are you okay?" The younger boy looked at him. He had a bloody lip and a hand-shaped red mark on his cheek that was already turning blue. He nodded. Blaine frowned and stood up from where he was squatting next to Kurt. The Warbler slowly turned toward Karofsky, and if looks could kill, the jock would be dead already. Blaine walked right up in Karofsky's face, where they were nearly nose-to-nose.

"Don't _ever _lay a finger on him again!" Blaine growled out.

Dave just smirked. "What are you gonna do about it, homo? Hit me with your purse?"

Blaine took a deep breath. The last time he did this… He shook his head to clear it, and without a second thought, punched Karofsky in the stomach. And was immediately pinned against Kurt's truck.

"Blaine!" Kurt cried out. Karofsky wrapped his hand around Blaine's neck. The Warbler curled his fingers under the jock's, but he just wasn't strong enough. Karofsky dropped his other hand to Blaine's stomach, and slowly trailed it lower. Blaine froze. Kurt was still too dizzy from hitting his head on the truck to do anything but watch in horror. Dave palmed at Blaine's crotch harshly. Blaine was breathing thinly, still trying to pry the hand off his throat. He finally unfroze and thrashed, but only succeeded at rubbing against Karofsky's hand. He stopped that quickly. Dave gave him one last painful squeeze -from both hands- and let go. Blaine slid down the side of Kurt's truck, gasping for air. Kurt wrapped his arms around the Warbler for the second time in half an hour, rubbing his back. Blaine flinched away.

"See ya, fairies." Karofsky laughed, and left. Blaine looked at Kurt, horrified that the younger boy had seen him being violated -and helpless-, and disgusted at himself for moving away when Kurt had tried to comfort him.

"I'm-I'm so sorry you had to see that, Kurt, I-"

"Don't." Blaine looked confused. "Don't be sorry. It's not your freaking fault, Blaine! He's just… such a damn bastard! God, I…" Kurt trailed off. Silent tears ran down Blaine's cheeks. "…Hey. Blaine. Please don't cry, because then I'll cry and I look awful when I cry so it'll just make you cry more because of my hideousness and… I'm gonna shut up now." Blaine smiled tearily. (2)

"I just can't help but think that -especially after that- I won't be able to protect you. God, Kurt! I didn't even think of you when he…when that happened! I forgot you were there and that _scares_ me, Kurt! I just thought of myself! Agh!" Blaine put his head in his hands sadly. Kurt once again moved to wrap his arms around the Warbler.

"C'mon. Let's get some ice for your neck and my face. We can go to my house. No one's home yet. God, we're a mess." Kurt laughed humorlessly and stood, ignoring the throbbing in his head to help Blaine up.

The car ride home was silent, but not tense. Both boys were reflecting on what just happened, and in Kurt's case, thinking also about Blaine's story. He wondered if anyone else knew about the torture he went through. Not just the rape, but everything.

Kurt pulled into his driveway and got out, Blaine following.

"…I'm sorry." Kurt turned and looked at Blaine, whose eyes were watering again. The Warbler spoke softly again. "I'm supposed to protect you, I'm your mentor!"

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "C'mon. Let's go inside." He led the way to the kitchen, never letting go of Blaine's hand. He pulled two ice packs from the freezer, placing one on Blaine's neck and the other on his own cheek.

Blaine and Kurt just looked at each other, hands still clutched together. The two, by some silent mutual agreement, both leaned forward, their lips meeting softly. Kurt's eyes fluttered shut, and Blaine's soon after. It was a chaste kiss, no tongue. They were just getting used to each other.

"Kurt? Blaine?" They whipped apart. Burt Hummel was standing in the doorway, stunned. "What-what-"

"Dad! Oh, we were just, um…"

"What happened to your face? And Blaine, your neck…" Burt narrowed his eyes. What is going on?"

"Blaine came to help me confront Karofsky because- well, anyway, we did, but he left, and a while later, when we were about to leave, he came back and I got out of my car and I yelled at him and he called me… that word… and slapped me. Then Blaine got out of the car, too, and Karofsky ch-choked him. And that's what happened… I guess."

"Kurt, why did you need to confront Karofsky?" Burt's voice was threatening. "Is there something you're not telling me?" Blaine looked at Kurt sharply. _He hadn't told his dad?_

"Dad, your health… and I didn't think you needed to know, but…" Kurt looked at Blaine for help. _Ah, that's why he didn't tell him._

"Karofsky kissed Kurt, Mr. Hummel." Blaine spoke up for the first time since Burt had walked in.

"_WHAT_? Why the _hell_ didn't you say anything Kurt? And _you!_" He glared at Blaine. "_You _could have said something! Why was I not notified? I should…" Burt mumble/growled something Blaine made out to be colorful and very violent.

"Sir, I was under the impression Kurt had told you. I'm sorry." Blaine frowned at Kurt, who winced.

"Dad, I'm sorry, I-I… it's not a big deal." Burt and Blaine looked at him. "It was just a kiss that may or may not have been my first, and that's all he did, so I think we should worry more about the fact that Blaine's neck has finger-shaped bruises and I have a _freaking handprint on my face_."

Blaine spoke up. "_Wait_. Did you just say that he was your first kiss? Why didn't you tell me?" He looked hurt.

"I-I was going to… I didn't have a chance…"

Burt cut in. "We can figure this out later. Now, I want to know the details of the second bit."

xxxxx

After Kurt had explained it -leaving out, of course, what Blaine told him, and the violation-, Burt went to lie down for a while, leaving the two boys to go down to Kurt's room in the basement.

"Nice room. Got any Red Vines?" Blaine sat down on the couch in front of the recently added flatscreen resting on the wall.

"Yeah, I do, here." Kurt tossed a large container of the candy at Blaine.

"You're totally awesome."

Kurt just smiled knowingly.

"Um, so when I said Karofsky was my first kiss… It wasn't _technically_ true… About a year ago, I kissed Brittany. But it didn't mean anything. She was just doing it because I was the only guy in school she hadn't kissed, and I was trying to convince my dad that I was straight."

"Wait, what? But your dad loves you… Why would you pretend to be -shudder- straight?" Blaine had a Red Vine hanging half out the side of his mouth.

Kurt sighed. "Because I saw him doing things more and more with Finn, guy stuff. And I thought he would do more stuff with me if I pretended to like them, too. Does that make any sense?"

"Perfectly. Red Vine?" Kurt took it gratefully.

"So," Kurt munched on it, "What happened upstairs, in the kitchen… What was that? "Cause if it was just like a sympathy kiss, or something, then I'm not going to, but it was so… _perfect_ that I was gonna count it as my first kiss instead of Karofsky…"

"You thought it was perfect? Awwww…" Kurt glared at Blaine. "Fine, fine! I thought it was perfect, too!" He threw his hands up in the air. Kurt realized their proximity. He blushed and looked down. Something pushed on his jaw, bringing his face back up. A warm, sweet breath puffed on his face, reminiscent of Red Vines. Kurt smiled, tilting his face up to look in Blaine's beautiful chocolate eyes. The Warbler brought his head down a tiny bit, and their lips touched. Kurt groaned softly, and then blushed. Blaine pressed his lips harder against Kurt's, swiping his tongue against the younger boy's bottom lip. Kurt gasped, opening his mouth and letting Blaine's tongue in. Kurt didn't even attempt to battle for dominance, just relaxing and letting Blaine explore his mouth. He tasted of Red Vines, Kurt's new favorite candy. Blaine gently undid the buttons on Kurt's vest and slid it off his shoulders, leaving him in a long-sleeve white shirt. He broke the kiss for a moment to pull that over his head, and soon latched on to the younger boy's lips once again. He didn't stay there long, though, and trailed butterfly kisses across Kurt's jaw and down his neck to his collarbone. Blaine set both hands on Kurt's chest and gently pushed him backwards until he was lying down on the couch, breathing heavily. Blaine pulled off his own Dalton blazer, tie, and shirt (too many layers!) and threw them unceremoniously on the floor somewhere before moving to straddle Kurt's hips and leaning back down to continue his lips' exploration of Kurt's body, but not before Kurt caught a glimpse of his body. _God,_ can you say sexy? Blaine had _muscles_. Like, a six-pack! Kurt felt unbelievable lucky.

Blaine kissed his collarbone and licked a stripe up his neck, back to his lips. Kurt shuddered. As Blaine pulled away so they could both breathe, Kurt spoke, unconsciously.

A breathy, soft, "I love you." Blaine froze, looked at Kurt, whose eyes were eerily similar to a deer in the headlights.

"I love you, too, Kurt. Oh, so much!" He kissed him again, softly.

"Hey, Kurt, can I borrow your calc book? I left mine at… Uh…" Finn stopped, halfway down the steps. Blaine dropped his head into the crook of Kurt's neck and tried to stifle the laughter bubbling up.

"Finn, could you possibly come back a different time? Maybe when I have all my clothes on." Kurt's voice was sharp. Finn nodded and turned around on the stairs, practically sprinting back up them. Blaine snickered. Kurt hit him lightly over the head with a, "Shut up, you!". Blaine rubbed his head with a playful expression. The younger boy shoved him off and looked for his shirt.

"Where the heck did you throw it?"

Blaine looked around. "Oh," He laughed, "It's on the stairs. Maybe that's why your brother was so upset. He must've thought we were doing more."

Kurt groaned and blushed. "Great. Now gimme my shirt back."

"Of course. And so you know, telling him to come back 'when you had all your clothes on' probably didn't help either." Blaine smirked and tossed Kurt his shirt, which he quickly tugged on.

"Oh my god. He's going to tell Dad! Get your shirt on and hurry!" Blaine stopped smirking and did as he was told. They both rushed up the steps. Burt had a hand raised to knock on the door when the boys came barreling out, Kurt crashing into his dad and nearly falling.

"Oh, Dad, hi. We were just, um…"

"Finn told me." Burt was blunt.

"No, Dad! We weren't! We were just, um, kissing! Not anything… more…" Kurt was scarlet.

"Yeah, Mr. Hummel, it was just a kiss… Nothing more," Blaine reassured Burt.

"Well, I believe you two, but I hope you know to use protection when it gets to that point." He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Don't worry, Dad. Blaine's a gentleman." Kurt blushed even more.

"Alright, then." Burt smiled and left.

Blaine expelled his breath. "Well, that could have gone worse…"

Kurt just looked at him. "_Worse?_ How is that even possible? It's not _your_ dad that told you to use _protection_."

Blaine laughed. "Yeah, true."

Kurt smacked him upside the head playfully.

"Kuuuurt! That's the _second_ time today! Jeez. Abusive, much?"

"Yeah, yeah."

xxxxx

Blaine eventually had to go home, starting with Kurt driving him back to the McKinley parking lot to retrieve his car. Goodbyes were said with a small kiss and a hug.

xxxxx

The day after the double encounter with Karofsky, Kurt went to school terrified. All was well, until he stopped at his locker on the way to Glee. A snarl interrupted him.

"You haven't told anyone, right, fag?" He continued before Kurt could answer. "'Cause if you do… I'll kill you." He walked away. Kurt was speechless, and scared beyond anything. He slid to the floor, pulling his phone out with shaking hands and calling Blaine.

"_Hello?"_

"Blaine… Something's happened." His voice shook.

"_What happened, Kurt? What's wrong? Do I need to come out there?"_

"No, you don't need to come… It's Karofsky. He-"

"_WHAT DID HE DO? I swear, I'm going to strangle him-"_

"Blaine, calm down. He-he said he was going to-to kill me if I told anyone… Blaine, I'm so scared!" Kurt let out a sob, not caring who heard.

"_What? I'm coming out, please, hold on…" _It sounded like he was running. A car door.

Kurt whispered a yes and hung up, not bothering to stand or even go to Glee club. A few minutes later, Coach Sylvester walked by, stopping short at the sight of a teary-eyed Kurt on the ground against the lockers.

"Why aren't you in class, Porcelain? Isn't your beloved little Glee club this period?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not going… Someone's coming to pick me up."

"Well, Porcelain, that counts as skipping, unless you have a good excuse for it."

"I-I… I have current reason to fear for my life."

Sue's eyes narrowed. "Who's picking on you, Kurt?" The boy noticed her use of his first name.

"Kar-Karofsky."

"Ah, the Neanderthal. C'mon, to my office."

She could have sworn she heard a sniffled, "My sentiments exactly."

xxxxx

Blaine raced to McKinley as fast as possible. He knew he was lucky to have not been pulled over for speeding. When he pulled into the parking lot, he noticed a text from Kurt that said "_Sylvester's office._". He crept inside and followed the signs to a glass door, where he could see Kurt and a scary-looking blonde woman talking. Kurt looked utterly broken, and was hunched over in his chair. Blaine knocked lightly on the glass. Kurt turned, and bolted up, pulling the door open and flinging himself into Blaine's arms.

"Oh, I'm so sorry you had to drive out here…" He whispered into the Warbler's ear.

"I wanted to. How are you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess. Coach Sylvester's really help- Oh!" Kurt slipped out of Blaine's grip and turned, grabbing his hand.

"Coach Sylvester, Blaine. Blaine, Coach Sylvester."

Sue looked Blaine up and down. "Hello, Hobbit."

"She does that. I'm Porcelain." Kurt whispered explanatorily into Blaine's ear.

"Sit." Sue gestured to the metal folding chair in front of her desk.

"With all due respect, Coach Sylvester, there's only one chair." Kurt looked confused.

"So? You can handle it. You're like Porcelain, correct, Hobbit?"

"Like him, how, Ms.?"

Sue sighed. "That was not a straight hug, boys. Figure something out, but for heaven's sake, stop standing. I even have to look up to Hobbit." Kurt blushed. Blaine sat down on the chair, pulling Kurt gently by the hips until he was sitting on top of him. Kurt blushed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Blaine saw Karofsky and some other jock walk past. Since the walls were all glass, they could see the two boys inside perfectly. Karofsky pulled his hand across his throat, while the other jock made a vulgar gesture that Blaine thought might have to do with the fact that he had a lapful of Kurt. He glared menacingly at the jocks, and they just laughed, before walking away. _Oh, god._ He had a lapful of Kurt. Blaine tried not to think about it, thought of dead puppies and his past.

"So, Hobbit, now that you've _finally_ sat down, what school are you from, anyway?"

"I'm from Dalton Academy for Boys, Ms." Blaine peered at Sue from around Kurt, who vaguely smelled of apple.

"You obviously don't have a cheerleading team, and are therefore not a threat to us winning regionals. You may stay." Kurt almost scoffed. Of course Sue would think of her Cheerios first.

"Now, Porcelain. What exactly has been going on with Karofsky?"

"Well, he's been bullying me for a while now, pushing me into lockers, saying unoriginal and quite demeaning things… And then, three days ago, he did something- worse, and Blaine came up to Lima to be with me when I confronted him, I guess, and he sort-of attacked Blaine, and later, when we were about to leave, he was in the parking lot, too, and I asked him what his problem was. He-he slapped me across the face." Kurt pulled a tissue from his pocket and wiped off the makeup from his cheek. A bruise reminiscent of a hand resided there, purple and angry-looking. Sue's eyes widened imperceptibly. Kurt continued. "And then he choked Blaine, and- and then left."

"What else did he do to Hobbit? Because I can see right through those little shifty eyes of yours. And what do you mean by 'worse'?"

"I mean that he-he kissed me."

"What in the name of Nazi hunters did he do that for?"

"No idea."

Blaine broke in. "And to answer the other half of your question, he… he molested me."

Sue stood. "Kid's on the warpath, isn't he? Hobbit, Porcelain, go somewhere. I need to make a few phone calls. Be thankful I'm even doing this. I want the football team outta here; this is how I'm going to do it."

Kurt sighed. Typical Sue. He stood, grabbing Blaine's hand and leading him out of Coach Sylvester's office. He started to go towards the front of the school, but stopped, and turned around.

"I want you to meet the rest of Glee club." Blaine had barely managed an okay before Kurt was dragging him down the white tile hallway with the green lockers. Kurt pulled him into a choir room, where a man was explaining the importance of Journey to some bored-looking kids. Kurt dropped his hand.

A Latina-looking girl in a cheerleading uniform was the first to notice the pair. "Oh, Kurt's here. And he brought a super-hot friend. Hey, sexy. Want to go to Breadstix with me later?" She made googly eyes at him. Blaine must've made a face, because she looked mildly put-off. "What, something wrong with me?" Before Blaine could answer, Rachel noticed his uniform.

"Spy!" She pointed at Blaine with a horrified expression.

Mr. Shue turned to look at Kurt and Blaine, still standing in the doorway. "And what might your name be?"

"Blaine, sir."

Kurt felt the need to explain. "He's my-" He looked at Blaine, not really knowing what to call him.

"Boyfriend." Blaine supplied without a second thought. Kurt beamed. So that's what they were.

Santana looked interested again. "Never done it with a gay boy…"

"Santana, shut it." Mercedes snapped. "Sorry, Blaine. She's a freak." Santana glared at her.

"Blaine is a nice name… It rhymes with mane. Are you a lion?" Brittany asked.

Finn was blushing like no other. "Oh, hey, Blaine…"

"You two know each other?" Puck asked of Finn.

"Yeah. It's a painful memory." Puck didn't ask any further.

"So, Blaine, what brings you to McKinley?" Mr. Shue asked.

"Kurt asked me to come up to Lima for some… moral support. He wanted to talk to Karofsky about- about the bullying that's been going on."

"He's obviously lying! He corrupted Kurt and now he's trying to steal our set list for regionals!"

"Rachel, shut up." That was Quinn.

"Well, alright, then. Welcome to McKinley, Blaine." Mr. Shuester smiled.

xxxxx

The two boys left the choir room after Blaine was introduced to everyone. Kurt latched on to Blaine's hand again, making the older boy smile. But not for long.

"Hey, faggots." Blaine whirled around, Kurt going with him because of their joined fingers.

"What the _hell_ do you want, Karofsky?" Blaine was at his limit with this Neanderthal.

"I think you remember." Karofsky advanced on them, backing the pair up until they both hit the lockers.

Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear. "_Run._ Get your principal or something. _Run!_" Kurt didn't want to leave Blaine, but he had to. He let go of Blaine's hand unwillingly and sprinted away. Karofsky didn't even blink. In fact, he smiled coldly. Blaine shuddered.

"Just you and me, prettyboy." He walked forward until he was less than an inch from Blaine. The Warbler froze. Karofsky placed his hands on Blaine's shoulders, forcefully pinning him to the lockers. He attacked Blaine's lips with his own, biting and sucking on them. Blaine gasped, and Karofsky forced his tongue into the shorter boy's mouth. Blaine instinctively bit down, and a metallic taste coated the inside of his mouth. Karofsky reeled back, and before Blaine could react, punched him in the face. Blood ran down the Warbler's cheek and neck. Blaine's head snapped to the side, ramming into the sickly green lockers behind him. There was a bang as metal collided with skin and bone.

_Voices._ Blaine opened his mouth to cry out, but the sound of his yell was drowned out as Karofsky clamped a meaty hand over his face and dragged him into the small janitorial closet across the hall. His last hope of being rescued was extinguished as the door was closed. Blaine was turned around, one hand still covering his mouth, and pressed against Karofsky's body so he couldn't see him. He was utterly terrified. The shorter boy could feel the entirety of the Neanderthal. Blaine thought he was going to be sick. Karofsky traced the hand that wasn't covering the Warbler's mouth down the front of Blaine's body, taking extra care around his heaving chest and lightly defined abs. The hand made its way under his shirt and Dalton blazer, creeping back up to his chest.

"Don't make a sound," was whispered roughly in his ear before the hand over his mouth was removed. Blaine could hear the voices of his beloved Kurt and that Sylvester person, as well as a man who sounded Indian. He wanted to cry. Kurt sounded confused, and the man was talking to him as if he was already bored.

His thoughts were ripped back to the hand, as it went south again, running along the rim of his Dalton slacks. The hand that was previously on his mouth joined the first, the two working together to undo his button and zipper. One hand went back up, to his perfectly gelled hair, digging into his scalp and making him whimper. Karofsky pulled viciously on it, ripping Blaine's head back so far he could just make out the terrifying gleam in the Neanderthal's eyes. The hand let go of his hair and went to help the other in pulling his pants down. Before they could succeed, however, Blaine kicked the door. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it earlier. The voices in the hallway halted. He kicked it again, before Karofsky flipped him around and punched him as hard as he could in the jaw. Blaine yelled in pain. The door opened, blinding light surrounded him, Kurt's voice danced in his ears. Karofsky tried to escape, but the man and Coach Sylvester blocked the exit. Kurt took in Blaine's undone zipper and messed up hair, swollen lips, and the bruise already forming on his jaw.

"What is going on here?" The man demanded, looking at Karofsky.

"He was just putting on a little strip show for me, that's all." Karofsky leered. "Little whore."

Kurt turned from looking worriedly at Blaine to Karofsky. "That's a_ lie,_ you bastard!" He slapped him across the face, hard.

"Porcelain, no need for violence! As for _you_," Sue looked at Karofsky, "Come with me." He reluctantly left the janitor's closet and followed Sue, the man walking behind him after being reassured that Kurt and Blaine would come to his office after Blaine had recovered a little.

The older boy was cowering in a corner of the closet, as far from Kurt as possible. "I'm not strong enough. I let you down, Kurt." He whispered brokenly. "It almost happened again, and there's nothing I could do to stop it. _Nothing._" He sunk to the floor, burying his face in his hands.

Kurt kneeled, reaching a hand out and resting it on Blaine's shoulder. He flinched away. A few tears escaped Kurt's eyes from seeing how destroyed Blaine had become.

"Blaine, there's probably nothing I can say to make you feel better. But I do want you to know that I love you a whole lot. I don't know how I lived before I met you on that ridiculous spying mission Puck put me up to. You know, it was love at first sight."

Blaine looked up. His eyes were blurry from tears and he was a mess. Kurt thought he never looked so beautiful. "You really… really loved me when you saw m-me?"

Kurt nodded. "I did. And I am so, so happy that you told me you loved me back, that night on the couch."

Blaine managed to smile a little. "Because I do. So much, Kurt."

"Do you think we can go to Principal Figgins' office, now?" The older boy nodded and got up. Kurt noticed he didn't take the hand that was being offered to him. Kurt wanted to cry, that the boy that he loved was so broken that he couldn't stand to be touched.

xxxxx

After the pair talked to Figgins, they headed back to Kurt's house.

The younger boy brought Blaine in, his only explanation being, "You've been through too much today, Blaine. You'll sleep here.".

Burt came out of the family room after hearing the front door. "Oh, hey, Blaine!" He thumped him on the shoulder. Blaine flinched away, though Burt apparently didn't notice.

"Dad, Blaine's going to sleep here tonight."

Burt nodded. "Okay, but remember what I told you last night."

"Dad! Blaine, go downstairs. There are probably some pajamas in my closet that'll fit you. You can use the bed." After the door was closed behind Blaine, Kurt turned back to his dad.

His voice grew shrill. "Have you no fucking tact? Can't you see that Blaine's messed up? He was just fucking _sexually assaulted,_ for God's sake!" Kurt turned, opened the basement door, and slammed it behind him. He would deal with the repercussions of _that_ outburst later. Right now he needed to check on Blaine. He scurried down the steps. Blaine was curled up in his bed, asleep already. Kurt smiled softly at the boy, then got himself ready for bed. He draped a sheet over his couch and lay down. He fell asleep to the sound of Blaine's soft snores.

"_No! I'm sorry! Please, don't touch me! No! No!" _Kurt jolted awake. Labored breathing drew his attention to Blaine, who was twisted up in the sheets, a painful expression on his face.

"_No!"_

"Blaine, wake up! Blaine!" Kurt shook the older boy's shoulder. His arm shot out and punched Kurt in the jaw. He stumbled back, clutching at his injured face. Blaine stopped moving, and woke up, maybe from the impact of hitting Kurt. He looked around wildly before his eyes came to rest on Kurt, who was still covering his jaw with his hands.

"Oh my god, Kurt, did I do that? Are you okay?" Worry was eminent in his tone.

"I'll be fine. Nightmare?" Kurt wouldn't tell Blaine, but it definitely hurt to speak.

"Y-yeah. It was Hassen _and_ Karofsky… they came at me…" He shuddered. "But it's over now. Thank you for waking me, Kurt."

Kurt smiled. Or tried to, because as soon as he went to move his jaw, a horrifying pain coursed through his body. He grimaced, hands flying back to his injured jaw.

"What's wrong? Oh god, I really got you, didn't I?" Blaine's eyebrows creased. "C'mere. Let me look at it." Kurt was a little unsure as he sat on the edge of his bed.

"Closer, Kurt. I can't see you a mile away." Kurt scooted closer, wary of Blaine's newfound aversion to being touched. "Kurt! Seriously? _Get over here._" Kurt crawled even closer, so he was maybe a foot from Blaine. The taller boy reached out and grabbed Kurt's arm, pulling him closer in the dim light. Kurt lost his balance, and face-planted onto Blaine's chest. He hurriedly scrambled to get off, fearing his reaction. But Blaine just blinked at him, and pulled the younger boy back onto his chest.

"You make me feel safe." He wrapped his arms around Kurt and snuggled his face in his hair.

"You make me feel safe, too. I love you." Kurt whispered, stunned that Blaine was even touching him, let alone _cuddling_ with him. A testament to how much he trusted him.

"I love you, too, Kurt." Kurt smiled and lightly draped an arm over Blaine's stomach.

Blaine kissed the top of Kurt's head softly.

And that's how Burt found them the next morning, curled-up and intertwined with one another on top of the sheets, Blaine in some pajamas that looked suspiciously like Kurt's from a couple years ago. Both boys wore identical smiles, contented faces. Burt felt awful for not noticing how upset Blaine was last night, and for what he said. _Protection?_ _How idiotic am I? _Burt set an alarm clock for ten minutes and went back upstairs. The football game was on.

Blaine and Kurt came up about half an hour later, both still yawning and rubbing their eyes.

"Hello, you two. Blaine, I'm sorry about last night. I was completely inconsiderate."

"No problem, Mr. Hummel."

"Please, call me Burt."

Blaine nodded. "Alright then, Burt." It felt odd on his tongue.

Kurt looked nervous. "Dad, I'm-I'm sorry for yelling… and, um, swearing last night." Burt told him that he deserved it. "Well, okay, but I'm still making low-calorie wholegrain pancakes for you."

"Alright! Pancakes!" Burt grinned. "Also," He turned serious, "If either of you boys ever need help, I'm here. Carole is, too."

"Yes, dad. Now, Blaine, have you ever made pancakes?"

"I can't actually say that I have... We had a cook, so I never had to even step in the kitchen."

Kurt's eyebrow broke records. "You had a _private chef_? Seriously?"

"You have to remember a lot of the families at Dalton are... well-off. But that's all I'm saying on that subject! Do you need help getting out ingredients?" Blaine rubbed his hands together almost scarily.

"Um, yes. Whole wheat flour, Splenda, margarine, two eggs, non-fat milk-"

"Kurt? Why is everything so healthy?"

Kurt paused in his list. "Oh, well, about a year ago, my dad had a heart attack. I've been forcing him to eat healthier and exercise regularly since."

Blaine nodded thoughtfully. "So, you don't have any sugar in the house?" He looked horrified.

"Nope. Only those Red Vines that you devoured the other day."

"Sorry." Blaine had the decency to look sheepish. 

xxxxx

Unfortunately, Kurt had school that day. Blaine didn't, some sort of staff meeting. The pair said goodbye in the McKinley parking lot with a tiny kiss when no one was looking. Kurt walked in to the building shaking, his knees threatening to give out with every step toward hell that he took. Puck and Finn came out of nowhere and stood on either side of him.

"Bodyguards, right?" That was the only explanation Kurt got. Apparently Burt had told Finn about what was going on, and Finn made Puck come as well. Kurt held his head up, glanced at his two guards, and walked confidently to his locker.

That was how it was after every class, he would walk out the door, Finn and Puck would be there, waiting for him. Kurt had never felt safer. Well, that was a lie. He had Blaine.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and Puck had to leave for his community service. Finn stayed by Kurt's side, though it wasn't really enough. Karofsky barreled out of nowhere and crashed into Kurt, sending him and his bag to the ground. It almost seemed as if he had waited for Puck to leave. Finn helped Kurt up and turned to Karofsky.

"What the hell's your problem, dude?" Finn clenched his fists.

"It's your little homo boyfriend, Hudson. He's _sick_." He obviously didn't try very hard at the insult. Finn growled a "That's it!", and flew at Karofsky with wild fists. He got in a few good punches, and got a few in return, before a couple footballers pulled them off.

"Dude, Finn, you can't get kicked off the team!"

"Yeah, man, the only reason we win is because of you."

Karofsky fixed his letter jacket and stormed off. He obviously didn't like being ignored.

"Finn, are you okay? I'm so sorry… You didn't have to do that for me…" Kurt's voice was shaky.

"No, it's fine. I should have gone after him with the rest of the Glee guys when Sam got a black eye. Payback, yeah? I think I got him in the jaw." Finn laughed. He threw his arm around Kurt in a brotherly fashion and the two headed off down the hall.

xxxxx

"No, dad, I don't want to sue Karofsky. I just want him _away_ from Kurt, and me." Blaine sighed tiredly at his dad.

"Well, unfortunately, the kid's dad is president of the school board. They needed one vote to overturn the expulsion and that's his. And judging by what I've seen and heard in the past, that vote is going to happen. Now, I don't usually follow public school politics, but this Kurt boy obviously means a lot to you, if you're willing to go to all of this trouble for him…"

"Dad, I love him. And he loves me." Blaine beamed.

"Well in that case, Blaine, congratulations."

xxxxx

"Porcelain, the expulsion was nullified by Neanderthal's father himself. I'm sorry." Coach Sylvester and Principal Figgins both looked down at Kurt sadly, who felt very, very small from this angle and from the news he had just received.

"Kurt, there is nothing more we can do than keep a constant watch on you. We are all very sorry at this misfortune." Figgins reached over and patted his shoulder. Kurt shrank away, even smaller than before. Figgins retracted his hand. "Would you like us to call that boy that's always with you? Blake… No, Brandon. Wait, Blaine! That's it."

Kurt shook his head. "No… No, I've got my own phone. Thanks, though." His voice was meek, soft.

"Alright then. Porcelain, it is no longer necessary for you to be in my office. I believe you have Geek Club this period? I'll walk you there." Kurt couldn't understand why Sue was being so nice to him.

"Thank you, Ms. Sylvester. With all respect, though, I am not a charity case. I can walk to _Glee_ Club by myself." Kurt bowed his head, picked up his brown messenger bag, and left.

"I hope he's okay…" Sighed Figgins.

"Porcelain is stronger than he looks."

xxxxx

Blaine slammed his car door and revved the engine of his Porsche, all the while growling with furrowed eyebrows. It was because of a simple text he had gotten earlier.

_**From:**__ Kurt  
>Karofsky's back. His dad overturned the vote. :'(<em>

Blaine had never hated anyone more than he hated Dave Karofsky at that moment. But he knew within himself that even though he was strong, Karofsky was stronger. And Blaine didn't know if he could handle even seeing him again. But he _had to!_ For Kurt! The older boy absolutely could not stand the fact that he was afraid. It boiled in the pit of his stomach, black and bubbling, sticky like tar.

Blaine shook his head to clear it, and focused on driving. He may or may not have sung along to _Firework_ when it came on the radio. C'mon, Katy Perry is musical _genius._ Blaine kind of wished he had actually thought to respond to Kurt before he started this ridiculous one-hour pilgrimage from Westerville to Lima. Oh, well. He was five minutes away. _**3:42.**_ He made it just as the end-of-school bell rang. He jumped out of his car, pink sunglasses perched on top of his head, and ran into the building toward where he remembered the choir room to be. He knew he was causing a scene, Dalton uniform on, horribly clashing glasses, running through the hallways, crashing in to people and apologizing while running. He finally reached the choir room, panting, and was about to step inside. But- who was that singing, with the _incredible_ voice? He peeked inside… and nearly fell over. Kurt?

_It's late at night and I can't sleep,  
>Missing you just runs too deep.<br>Oh, I can't breathe thinking of your smile.  
><em>  
><em>Every kiss I can't forget,<br>This aching heart ain't broken yet.  
>Oh God I wish I could make you see.<br>'Cause I know this flame isn't dying,  
>So nothing can stop me from trying.<em>

Kurt's voice was floating, haunted. He held a piece of music in his fingers, but his eyes were closed. Blaine could see tears leaking out of his closed lids.

_Baby you know that  
>Maybe it's time for miracles,<br>'Cause I ain't giving up on love.  
>You know that<br>Maybe it's time for miracles,  
>'Cause I ain't giving up on love.<br>No, I ain't giving up on us._

He dove into the chorus with no hesitation, just sitting on the piano bench, slightly hunched. And god, this song was amazing a cappella.

_I just wanna be with you,  
>'Cause living is so hard to do<br>When all I know is trapped inside your eyes._

_The future I cannot forget,  
>This aching heart ain't broken yet.<br>Oh God, I wish I could make you see.  
>'Cause I know this flame isn't dying,<br>So nothing can stop me from trying._

Blaine didn't know how he had lived so long and never heard Kurt Hummel sing. His voice stole the older boy's heart and fluttered away with it on golden wings. He crept closer. Kurt opened his eyes and stood abruptly, startling Blaine. He squeaked, before backing up behind the door again.

_Baby you know that  
>Maybe it's time for miracles,<br>'Cause I ain't giving up on love.  
>You know that<br>Maybe it's time for miracles,  
>'Cause I ain't giving up on love,<br>No I ain't giving up on us._

Kurt walked around the room, clearly as touched as Blaine by his words. Blaine appreciated the fact that the artist seemed to have sung it so their gender preference could go either way. The Warbler couldn't tell whether it was traditionally sung by a man. The notes were pretty high in some places (Kurt could easily reach them), but it seemed like a male song. Maybe because Kurt was singing.

_Baby can you feel it coming?  
>You know I can hear it hear all the souls.<br>Baby can you feel me feel you?_

_You know it's time..._

The note on "time" gave Blaine chills. God, that was beautiful… Kurt sang the chorus one last time.

_No, I ain't giving up love,  
>I ain't giving up, no,<br>No, I ain't giving up on us._

He held the last note out. Blaine couldn't help it. He clapped. Whoops. Kurt flipped around from where he had been standing and glared at him non-menacingly. "How much did you hear?"

Blaine grinned. "All of it. And I must say, I have never in my life met someone so talented, nor have I ever heard a song that fit so well into my- _our_ life. Who's it by?"

Kurt turned scarlet. "Well, well th-thank you. It's called "Time for Miracles", and it's by a guy named Adam Lambert. He's super amazing, you should check him out. _And_, he's a tough gay guy, like you." Kurt grinned, but Blaine frowned.

"That's one of the things I wanted to talk about, actually, I-"

"Why are you even here? Oops, sorry, interrupting."

Blaine continued with a slight smile. "There are four things I would like to say. First, don't say anything about my sunglasses. Second, I got your text, which is why I'm here to tell you about the third. So, third: I, Blaine Anderson, hereby request your attendance at Dalton School for Boys, to be boarded permanently, or until further notice of Karofsky's departure. Take that last as you will."

Kurt blinked at him. "But-but… I can't afford Dalton… I'm sorry, Blaine, but I can't."

Blaine -surprisingly- smiled. "See, but that's taken care of. Remember how I said a lot of the families at Dalton were very well-off? So, I asked a few Warbler friends about it, and they've agreed to help me fund you for the rest of high school. And before you answer, let me bring about number four. This is the last, as it is most difficult to come out and say. But, as of yesterday afternoon, I don't believe I can protect you from Karofsky any longer, thus destroying my self-pact as your mentor and as your boyfriend, who, by the way, loves you very much. I want you to know that _I_ would personally feel much better if you came to Dalton."

Kurt frowned. "Blaine, I'm honored, but I-I'm not a charity case… I'm sorry." He looked down, too afraid of the hurt he knew would flash through Blaine's eyes. To his surprise, he felt arms wrap around his waist. He looked up, and met Blaine's liquid chocolate gaze.

"You're the only one I'm not scared to touch." Blaine whispered by Kurt's ear. The younger boy shuddered.

"I-I-I can't…I'm so, so sorry…"Kurt whimpered. "I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that… But trust me, I'll find a way. Look into scholarships, or something."

Blaine pulled away from Kurt. "Fine. But don't expect me to drive out to Lima every day when you come crying. Goodbye, Kurt." He turned around, leaving the choir room. Kurt reached his hand out, but Blaine was gone. Kurt fell to the floor, head in hands, sobs wracking his body. _No! _

"Kurt? What's wrong? Is it Karofsky?" Mr. Shue squatted concernedly by the crumpled boy.

Kurt shook his head. "It's Blaine… My fault… Gone… Freaking idiot…"

"What happened?" Mr. Shue's tone was soft.

"He-he said some of the guys at Dalton, including him, wanted to pay for me to go there the rest of high school… I said no, I'm not a charity case… I'm so stupid!" He hit his palms with his forehead.

'Calm down… I'm sure he's just disappointed. Give him a few days."

"No… You don't understand! I can't live without him! I love him too damn much…" Kurt sobbed again.

"Oh, _oh._ I didn't know… But he'll come around. Does he love you, too?"

"I thought so. Maybe not." Kurt sniffed and then hiccupped.

"Don't worry, he'll come around."

xxxxx

"David, I'm so stupid! Why would I think that he loved me enough to leave all his friends and his family to come to Dalton? I'm such an idiot!" Blaine covered his head with his bedsheet, again. He hadn't gotten out of bed in three days, since he had come back from Lima.

"Well, for starters, you're not stupid. You're in the top 10%, right? No, don't answer. Rhetorical. Second, I think he does love you enough to leave. Maybe he loves you _too_ much. He doesn't want to take advantage of you. And what you did, just leave him there, probably hurt him a whole lot." David wasn't usually this philosophical.

Blaine screamed into his pillow like a preteen girl. "What do I do?" He wailed loud enough for the boys down the hall to hear.

"There's nothing right now. Just wait a few days." David got up and left Blaine's room, closing the door behind him. Time for an intervention. He walked into Wes' room across the hall and looked pointedly at his best friend, who had obviously heard everything.

"We need to do something. This is getting out of hand." Wes nodded.

"Yeah, man. I've never seen Blaine so depressed. I can only imagine what Kurt's like."

David frowned. "But… _What_ should we do? I've got nothing."

Wes was silent, and then suddenly grinned. "I have a plan."

xxxxx

"Kurt! You have to go to school! If you don't get up _right now_ I will send Finn up, and he will pick out your outfit and _carry you_ to school without letting you do your hair!"

"_Wow, Dad," _Kurt thought, _"Harsh."_ But he got up nonetheless. Not that he wanted to, anyway. Might as well look semi-good. He was so pale from fear of Karofsky lately that no amount of foundation would fix it. He glanced at himself in the mirror, only pausing for a moment to see his reflection. And he almost gagged. He had dark circles under his eyes (probably from Blaine leaving; he hadn't been able to sleep since), although that seemed to be the only part of his face with any hint of color. His skin was pasty-white and… was that a wrinkle? No, thank god. Kurt had worked too hard on moisturizing daily for that to happen. Someone was bound to notice. Three days minus Blaine had taken its toll.

Kurt slumped downstairs, forfeiting breakfast for getting to school on time. He barely made it, with a minute to spare.

xxxxx

Lucky, Karofsky seemed to be absent that day. The only 'altercation' he had was when Azimio pushed him into the lockers. No biggie.

Kurt grabbed the mail before heading home. He called out "I'm home!" while shuffling through the letters. Junk, junk, jun- wait.

"_Why in the heck is the Dalton seal on this letter?" _That was definitely his name on it. Kurt shrugged and broke the seal on the back of the envelope.

_Mr. Hummel,_

_ You should consider yourself extremely lucky. Two anonymous Dalton students have graciously donated a sum of money sufficient enough to fund your stay at Dalton for the rest of this year and all of next year. They included this note: __**"Not Blaine." **__We hope you consider making the change from your school to our esteemed Dalton Academy for Boys._

_ Regards,  
>Headmaster Andrew Dorma (3)<em>

Kurt blinked and reread the letter. Someone had donated tuition money? And it wasn't Blaine… It must've been Wes and David; they were the only other Dalton boys he knew. And the money was already there… From the letter, it seemed as though it would go away if he didn't use it. It was a huge amount of money; Kurt didn't want to be helpless, poor, charity case Kurt, but he didn't want to be arrogant, self-centered, uncaring Kurt either. Dilemma alert.

"Kurt, I'm home!" Burt Hummel walked through the doorway and looked curiously at his son, who was sitting at the kitchen table with his hand over his mouth, letter in hand. "What's that, son?"

"It's a letter." Kurt sounded lightheaded.

"I see that. Who's it from?"

"Dalton."

Burt sighed. "C'mon, Kurt, explain. More than one word, please."

"Two people made an anonymous donation to pay for two years at Dalton. For me."

Burt grinned. "That's great! But Kurt, think about it, first."

"Don't worry, Dad. I've decided already."

xxxxx

Kurt adjusted his striped tie and straightened his navy blazer. He would miss the uniqueness McKinley allowed him to express. He picked up a duffel bag in one hand and a box labeled 'Movies and Books' in the other. The other boxes were in the car. There was barely room for him, Finn, Carole, and his dad. One thing weighed heavily on his conscience, though. He hadn't told Blaine. Hadn't even talked to him, actually, since the dreadful semi-fight in the choir room 8 days ago. And he felt horrible about it. Kurt didn't know how he was ever going to move on from Blaine, and if he was supposed to. He wasn't really into that fate stuff, but something like this had never happened before, either. Kurt was nervous about changing schools, mad about the overturned expulsion of Karofsky, scared about Karofsky in general, upset about his lack of communication with Blaine, but most of all confused. Maybe all the emotions coursing through his head were the cause of the small headache that was gaining in strength every second he sat here. Kurt shook his head and left his room after one last glance, putting his duffel and the last box into the back of his Land Rover. He climbed in the backseat next to an impatient-looking Finn and another box. Carole and Burt sat in the front seats, Burt driving. He looked at Kurt in the rearview mirror, smiling softly.

"Finally ready?" He smirked.

Kurt looked at him sharply. "You're not the one leaving for a private school an hour away."

Burt didn't talk for the rest of the journey. No one did, actually, Carole reading a book, Finn playing some sort of PSP, Kurt texting Mercedes and a couple other Glee kids. Of course he had told them, and Mercedes had slapped him (not enough to hurt) and then nearly killed him with a boa-constrictor hug full of tears from both parties involved.

_**From: **__Mercedes  
>You better freakin visit, Kurt!<em>

It almost made Kurt laugh. Typical Mercedes.

_**From:**__ Kurt  
>Duh.<em>

And then they were there. Kurt and his dad went to the front office to sign in, Carole and Finn staying behind in the car. A young-looking woman sat behind the desk, typing furiously at something. Burt cleared his throat, causing the woman to flick her head up.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, I'm here to register my son, Kurt. He's new."

"Oh, of course! Fill out this paperwork, please." She handed Burt a stack of papers maybe 10 thick. Burt sat down in a chair to fill them out. Kurt stayed standing.

"Yes?" The woman seemed puzzled.

"I was wondering if it's possible to put in a request for a roommate."

"You may! Here's the paper; you aren't guaranteed that roommate, though. Keep that in mind." Kurt nodded. The sheet had questions like "_Requested roommate's name?_", and "_Your grade?_". Kurt filled out the paper and gave it back to the woman, who looked it over. She typed something into her computer and smiled at Kurt.

"That student is available! Would you like me to sign your name into that room?"

"Yes, please." Kurt glowed, elated. Everything was going to be okay.

His dad finished the paperwork and gave it back, getting the key to Kurt's room and a map of the school. It seemed that the three boarding wings, or houses, were named after famous scientists. Darwin, Newton, and Einstein. Kurt was in Darwin. The two went back to the car to get boxes and Finn and Carole. Classes were going on currently, so the halls and dorms were empty.

They found the room with small difficulty, and Kurt unlocked the door. The dorm was _huge._ To Kurt's left was a bed, decorated with posters of Patti LuPone and RENT on the wall. The bed had soft blue sheets, and he breathed a sigh of relief. His green wouldn't clash. And with that, he turned his attention to his home for the next half a year. The bed was a queen, like his roommate's, but it was covered with white cotton sheets and had no pillow. The walls were barren. Kurt looked at the rest of the room. At the far end of the room, three doors sat. Two closets, Kurt presumed, and bathroom. Their own? Wow. He walked to his bed and set the duffel he was holding down on it. The bag contained his sixteen favorite -and interchangeable- outfits. It was rather upsetting to think that he had to wear a uniform for the rest of high school. Except weekends, which didn't really hold many days of the year anyway. Burt, Finn, and Carole set boxes on the floor, and Burt and Finn went to go get more.

Once they were gone, Kurt sighed and sat down on his bed heavily. "How am I going to live here? I'll miss you three too much." He spoke softly.

Carole joined him on the bed. "You'll get used to it. And you can see us on weekends. Plus, that Blaine boy you like is here."

Kurt looked at her. "How did you know I liked him?"

She laughed. "Woman's instinct. Plus, you never really stopped talking about him. And Burt told me about the kiss he walked in on. You should have seen his face when he told me! He blushed harder than you do!"

"Hey!" Kurt laughed, too.

"You'll be just fine. Now, help me start unpacking these." She gestured to the large amount of boxes piled on the floor next to his bed. Just then, Burt and Finn stumbled through the door heaving two boxes each in their arms. They were dropped on the floor.

"That's the last of 'em. Need help unpacking?" Finn faux-wiped sweat off his forehead jokingly.

Kurt smiled, but shook his head. "No, thanks. You'll probably just wrinkle my clothing. Thank you for your help, though."

Finn smiled, and hugged his stepbrother. "You have fun here. And if any of the guys give you a hard time, tell me." He looked kind of embarrassed to show his 'emotional side', so he reached over and gave Kurt a noogie, the latter yelping in protest and jumping halfway across the room. Burt and Carole laughed.

"Quit terrorizing your brother, Finn." Burt reprimanded lightly.

"Yes, Finn, stop using your superior height and muscle against me. I know where you live." Kurt looked at the quarterback creepily.

"Enough of that. Goodbye, Kurt. We'll all miss you." Carole spoke, Burt agreeing with her.

xxxxx

Blaine trudged through the halls back to his dorm. When he got there, he was surprised to see a note attached to his door with a title of "_Mr. Anderson"_. He pulled the paper off the door.

_Mr. Anderson,_

_ We are pleased to inform you that we have found someone to serve as your roommate. This person has already arrived, and is currently in your dorm. We hope you find him to be agreeable._

_ Sincerely,  
>Headmaster Andrew Dorma<em>

Blaine looked at the note, rereading it twice. They had found him a roommate? That was odd. Dalton may be no-bullying, but that didn't mean everyone was falling over themselves to be a gay guy's dorm-mate. He shrugged and tested the doorknob, finding it to be unlocked. He opened it and strode in. And then froze.

Why was Kurt in his room? Sitting on the empty bed… which was now decorated in green… Oh, crap. Kurt was his roommate? How, though?

The younger boy looked up from where he was reading a book, and smiled. He marked his place in the paperback and got up, walking to a shell-shocked Blaine.

"Hi." That was all he said, whispered, before he flung himself at the stunned boy, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in Blaine's neck. "I'm so, so sorry… I was being selfish…"

Blaine vaguely shook his head. "No, no, it's my fault. I freaked out; I shouldn't have reacted like that… I was worried for you, because of Karofsky, and I wanted you to come to Dalton because you would have been safer here, and also because I was thinking of myself, and Kurt, if he had confronted us again, I wouldn't have been able to defend you, and that terrified me. And Kurt, I hate being scared, so much. That's how I felt _before_, when everything was bad. When nothing," He swallowed, "Was certain, and everything was dangerous. When I was falling to pieces.

"Wait, but how are you even here? Is this a hallucination?" Blaine pinched his arm.

Kurt laughed, really laughed, for the first time in eight days. "I got a letter that said an anonymous donation had been made by two classmates, and that it basically would disappear if I refused. And it was probably Wes and David, anyway."

Blaine grinned. "I love those guys."

"And I love you." Kurt pulled back from hugging the older boy to look in his eyes. He smiled.

"I love you, too, Mr. I'm-going-to-move-to-Dalton-and-not-tell-my-boyfriend."

"Is that what we are?" Kurt's smile threatened to break his face in half.

"If you want." Blaine was suddenly unsure.

Kurt pressed his lips against Blaine's for a moment, then pulled back. "Of course," Was breathed on the older boy's neck, soft, panting. Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's petite waist, kissing him again.

**xxxxx**

**(1) Hassen is German for 'To hate'.**

**(2) Tearily- I think I just made that up.**

**(3) Dorma is taken from Dumbledore. The '-dor' was put together with 'ma'. Andrew is random.**

**There will be one more chapter in this, and I'll most likely post them together, which makes this message unnecessary, but oh, well. Peace and Klaine ftw.**

**Also, if you don't have time to read it all, this first chapter is an okay place to stop. If you want to see all problems touched upon in this chapter resolved, continue on. There are new problems and a bit of humor in the second chapter, and in fact, I'm quite proud of it**

**P.S.: This is only in two chapters because at 26 pages Word Document decided to hate me and messed with my indentations. Grrr.**


	2. Chapter 2

**On to chapter two! This one's 6,000 words longer than the first chapter. Sorry 'bout it. I tried to make them both around the same length. Oh well… I hope you enjoy the second installment!**

**xxxxx**

"Hey, Blaine!" A voice sounded through the door. Kurt and Blaine groaned in unison and separated reluctantly. Blaine opened the door to the glowing faces of Wes and David.

"Hey, so we were thinking that since you talk about Kurt _so much _and didn't get out of bed for, like, three days, that we would send some money to him for tuition so you would shut up, and- Oh, hi Kurt." Wes waved at the confused boy inside the dorm. "What are you doing here? It couldn't have only taken _that_ long to transfer here."

Kurt blinked. "It did… And Blaine, what did he mean by 'didn't get out of bed for three days'?"

Blaine cleared his throat. "Well, um… I-"

"He came back from Lima, got in bed, and skipped three days of classes, just lying there. We thought you died or something." David interrupted.

"And then, he started talking, around the middle of the second day. '_Oh, I'm so stupid, Kurt must hate me, I'm an idiot, why did I do that, he'll never speak to me again,' _yada, yada, yada. We couldn't even come in here without him asking if you were with us. It was _awful._" Wes threw his arm against his face dramatically.

"That's _enough,_ you two. _Out._" Blaine growled at the boys standing in his doorway.

David threw his hands up, but Wes just laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Blaine, come with us. There's something we want to show you."

Blaine blinked. "Okay…? Kurt, can you wait a minute? Sorry. These two buffoons…"

Kurt nodded at the same time David let out an indignant "Hey!".

"Sure. I'll do homework or something."

"Kurt, it's your first day here. You don't have homework."

"Right."

Blaine shook his head lovingly and shut the door.

"So, what do Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum have to show me?" Blaine smiled.

"Come this way." David and Wes led him to senior commons, which was totally empty. Usually there were at least two in there, but not today. Wes sat him down at a table with a laptop on it.

"What-"

"Shh," David interrupted. "Just watch." He opened the laptop and pulled up a minimized tab. It was YouTube. Blaine was a little confused, until David clicked play. Blaine would have been a bad gay if he hadn't recognized the opening music for '4 Minutes'. The video was taken with a cell phone camera, so the quality was not something to fawn over, but it was clear enough to see. Blaine's eyes made out a male figure in a cheerleading uniform, singing. _Wait. Holy crap, that's Kurt!_ Blaine's jaw dropped. Why in the hell was Kurt in that outfit? And _why _did he look so delectable? The video ended too soon, but Wes clicked on another one. This time, tinny opening notes for 'Single Ladies' played through the laptop's speakers. Blaine laughed softly. A bunch of burly-looking football players were dancing to it on the field. The song trailed off, and the players went for a kick. The kicker flung his leg forward… and made it. His teammates jumped on him, and the speakers were deafening. The guy who made the punt took off his helmet… and it was Kurt. _Wait, what? Kurt was a cheerleading footballer? The heck? _

Wes closed the computer. "Ta-da. That's all. Run along."

Blaine remained sitting. "But-but-but-"

David pulled him up. "Go on. Kurt's waiting for you." He pushed him toward the door.

Blaine broke out of his trance at Kurt's name. "What? Oh, yeah. Right." He stumbled out the double wooden doors. Kurt was waiting for him at the door to their room. _Their _room.

_Oh. _Kurt was looking at him expectantly. "Um… yes?"

Kurt laughed. "I asked what they showed you. And apparently it was rather stunning. Blaine?"

"I didn't know you were a cheerleading footballer." It was blunt.

"Different phases. Oh god. They didn't show you '4 Minutes' and 'Single Ladies', did they? _Crap._ I'm never going to live this down. So embarrassing!" Kurt covered his face with his hands. Blaine realized they were still in the hallway. He pushed the younger boy backwards and shut the door.

"Blaine, what-"

"Not embarrassing. God, Kurt, you're so… and you don't even realize it, and that makes you even more- and god knows why you're so humble, you could do anything, and-. Kurt, you're _sexy._" Blaine was reduced to nothing. He couldn't explain it; just that he had never felt more _turned on _and full of love and lucky, and ineloquent, and… He leapt forward, startling Kurt out of the daze he had fallen into, kissed him, hard. He guided the younger boy onto his bed, kissing at him frantically, like the world was at its end. Kurt moved his lips against Blaine's just as hectically, fisting the collar of the other boy's blazer. Blaine planted his hands on either side of Kurt's head and swung a leg so that he was straddling him. He reconnected their lips, one hand unbuttoning the ivory on the younger boy's shirt. He left Kurt's mouth, trailing his lips across the other boy's jaw, neck, collarbone, chest. Kurt arched his back into Blaine's mouth, teeth, and tongue. The older boy brought his head back to Kurt's -beautiful, gorgeous- lips, licking them before pulling his shirt over his head and returning to them.

_Knock, knock._

Blaine jerked back, startled, and then glared at the door. He grumbled something and got up.

"I swear, David, or Wes, if that's you, you're _both _dead." He flipped open the door, and froze. Kurt got up and looked around him, buttoning his shirt back up and peeking his head over Blaine's shoulder. He gasped, too. _But, how? _ The person in the doorway smiled, though it wasn't happy. It was one of hatred, menace, horror.

"Hello." Karofsky pushed back both Blaine and Kurt, his hand cold on the former's bare chest. The door was closed.

Blaine found his voice. "What the hell are you doing here, douchebag?"

Kurt hid behind Blaine, looking around his abdomen. "Get out of here, Karofsky. No one wants you here." Kurt attempted to sound tough. Blaine found his hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

"I think I'll stay." Karofsky ripped Kurt away from Blaine and dragged him into the bathroom before either boy could react. The door slammed. Karofsky slid a chair under the door handle. Kurt hit his fists on the wood, tried the knob, pounded some more, to no avail. Why was Karofsky going after Blaine instead? What did he ever do?

"No!" Kurt screamed. He sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, and gave up. He covered his ears, trying to block out the talking from the other side of the door.

xxxxx

Blaine didn't know why he hadn't even reacted when Karofsky locked Kurt in the bathroom. Right now he was frozen in fear, just watching the giant football player advance on him. Dave brought his hand up, and Blaine flinched. The Neanderthal stroked his cheek lightly.

"Hello, beautiful. Now, we won't have any… _problems,_ will we?" He grew closer to Blaine's face, and the shorter boy could feel his breath.

"N-no. As long as you don't hurt Kurt." Blaine whispered. Karofsky just shook his head. He put both hands on either side of the Warbler's face and basically attacked his lips, nearly crushing them. Blaine didn't fight back. He didn't even respond. He just stood there, keeping still. _I'm doing this for Kurt. It's for Kurt, have to stay strong. Don't fight back. _A tear escaped Blaine's eye, falling and mingling with the kiss he didn't want.

Karofsky pushed Blaine backwards until he was against the wall. He ran his hands all over the Warbler, front, back, everywhere. Blaine felt disgusting. The jock put one hand against the drywall by his head, and Blaine was reminded of how helpless he was. The other hand rested on his stomach. _It's for Kurt. I'm doing this for Kurt. It's the only way he'll stay safe. _

Karofsky breathed on Blaine's neck. "Feel good? I'm much better than your fag boyfriend. He's such a girl. I bet you want to be dominated, don't you? I'll do that for you."

Oh, god. Blaine knew what was going to happen. Karofsky was just another Hassen. It was going to happen again. And Blaine couldn't stop it. Dave brought both hands to Blaine's school pants, undoing the button on them. Blaine closed his eyes tight in anticipation.

xxxxx

Kurt heard a scream through his hands and the hollow door. Oh, no. Kurt growled in frustration, wanting to cry at the same time for what Karofsky was doing to Blaine. There _must _be some way out of here. Kurt felt in his pockets. _The key!_ That wasn't going to help, but… he was on the first floor! He looked around. There! A window over the bathtub. It was tiny, but Kurt had been a Cheerio. He climbed up on the ledge of the tub and unlocked the window. He slid it open and hooked his arms over the edge of it, hoisting himself up and wriggling through the teensy gap. He dropped onto the grass, and ran all the way around the school and back inside, sprinting through the hallways and getting strange looks. He was running on pure adrenaline, faster than he ever thought possible. He skidded to a stop at his door, and unlocked it with trembling fingers. He opened it quietly, to not alert Karofsky of his presence. And sitting against the wall in between the two closet doors was Blaine, head lowered, pants around his ankles. His knees were slightly bent. Karofsky was standing above him, zipping up his pants. Kurt had never felt so much hate in his entire life.

"Karofsky," He said, low and menacing. The jock whirled around.

"Hello, Prettyboy. I was just teaching your boyfriend here a lesson. And how did you get out of the bathroom?"

"Window. Now, _**get. out.**_" Kurt's fingers clenched in fists at his sides. Karofsky slowly walked toward Kurt, who stood his ground. The jock shoved him as hard as he could. Kurt flew back against his bed frame, but lucky wasn't injured badly. Dave left.

Kurt scrambled over to Blaine, who had only looked up when the former had first come in. "Oh, god, Blaine, are you alright? No, that's stupid, of course you aren't… Blaine, please talk to me."

Blaine looked at Kurt. There were tear streaks on his cheeks, and his eyes were puffy. "It happened again." That was all he said, and he looked so… broken. Kurt knew of only one thing that might help.

_I've been alone,  
>Surrounded by darkness<br>I've seen how heartless  
>The world can be.<em>

Kurt meant every word. He sung quietly, sitting next to Blaine.

_I've seen you crying.  
>You felt like it's hopeless.<br>I'll always do my best  
>To make you see<em>

He gradually crescendo'd, eyes closed, eyelids leaking tears.

_Baby, you're not alone,  
>Cause you're here with me.<br>And nothing's ever gonna bring us down,  
>Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you,<br>And you know it's true.  
>It don't matter what'll come to be,<br>Our love is all we need to make it through._

Blaine reached out and took Kurt's hand. The countertenor was startled for a moment, but regained momentum and kept singing, hand lightly squeezing Blaine's.

_Now I know it ain't easy,  
>But it ain't hard trying.<br>Every time I see you smiling  
>And I feel you so close to me.<br>And you tell me:_

_Baby, you're not alone,  
>Cause you're here with me.<br>And nothing's ever gonna bring us down,  
>Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you,<br>And you know it's true.  
>It don't matter what'll come to be,<br>Our love is all we need to make it through._

Kurt paused, took a shaky breath, and continued.

_I still have trouble.  
>I trip and stumble<br>Trying to make sense of things sometimes.  
>I look for reasons,<br>But I don't need 'em.  
>All I need is to look in your eyes,<br>And I realize:_

Kurt opened his eyes then, and looked into Blaine's.

_Baby I'm not alone,  
>Cause you're here with me.<br>And nothing's ever gonna take us down,  
>Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you,<br>And you know it's true,  
>It don't matter what'll come to be,<br>Our love is all we need to make it through._

_Cause you're here with me,  
>And nothing's ever gonna bring us down,<br>Cause nothing, nothing, nothing can keep me from lovin' you,  
>And you know it's true.<br>It don't matter what'll come to be,  
>You know our love is all we need,<br>Our love is all we need to make it through._

"I love you, Blaine. And we'll get through this together. I promise."

Blaine replied, his voice scratchy. "I-I love you, too."

xxxxx

"You're saying he has assaulted both of you, and molested and raped Mr. Anderson, here?" Headmaster Dorma sat behind a formidable-looking shiny wooden desk.

Kurt didn't trust Blaine to be able to answer, so he did. "Yes."

Dorma nodded. "And, I would like to believe you two, but I need proof to file a claim with the police."

Kurt frowned. He pulled a tissue from Dorma's desk and wiped the makeup from his cheek, again. The bruise was still there, however faded. He also gestured for Blaine to get up, helping him like he was an elderly man, and turned him around, lifting up his shirt after whispering an explanation of what he had to do. The fingerprints on Blaine's back were an angry purple, lined in rows of four on either side of his spine. Kurt still felt uncontrollable anger at the sight. Headmaster Dorma gasped.

"Alright, boys. Please excuse me. I must make a few phone calls." He gestured at the two. Kurt nodded and stood, waited for Blaine, and grasped his hand lightly as they walked out the heavy oak doors. The latter hadn't spoken more than twice since… it happened. But Kurt needed to change that, he couldn't keep it bottled up inside.

He led Blaine back to their room, but the older boy shook his head violently and pulled away. _Oh. _Why was he so insensitive to not realize it held so many bad memories? Instead, Kurt turned and took him outside, to the Dalton garden.

The little garden was shady from huge willows, swaying in the light breeze. A stone path wound through patches of hyacinths and snapdragons. A pumpkin vine curled and twisted across the path, and the boys stepped over it. Kurt led Blaine to a little corner he had found when he came to spy for sectionals. A grey bench was hidden under a willow. He sat Blaine down on the bench and kneeled in front of him. Screw his pants, dirt didn't matter. Blaine had his head bowed, hair trailing a little in the wind. Kurt carefully reached for his chin, slowly, and raised it to look in his eyes.

"Are you hurt, anywhere else?"

Blaine shook his head. He spoke, bitterly. "No. He fucked me and left."

Kurt flinched. "Why-why did you let him, though? I mean, not that you let him, but…"

"You." At Kurt's questioning look, he elaborated. "He said he wouldn't hurt you if I-I let him."

"Blaine!" The other flinched. "I can't believe you! You're too selfless! Let him do anything to me, don't sacrifice yourself!" Kurt frowned at him.

"I couldn't do that! I love you too much to let him near you! Besides, he likes me… for some sick, perverted reason. And it's okay, it's not like I lost my virginity. Hassen, remember?"

Kurt flinched again. "I- but- Blaine! God, c'mere." He rose and sat on the bench, hugging Blaine lightly as not to disturb his bruises.

"Will you… will you sleep with me tonight? Just sleep? I need someone to be there…" Blaine looked down again.

"Of course."

xxxxx

"Kurt Hummel, please come to the stand." She was scary-looking, gray hair, eagle eyes, stiff posture. And frankly, Kurt was terrified out of his mind. But he had to do this, for Blaine. For all the days he went to school fearing for his life. For the bruises on Blaine's back and the ones in their hearts. For the pain.

"You are here to testify on the behalf of Mr. Blaine Anderson, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am." Kurt knew he was abnormally pale at the moment.

The defense attorney spoke first. "You are here to speak against Mr. Karofsky, yes?"

"That's correct, sir."

"And why is that?"

"He assaulted me and Bla- Mr. Anderson, and raped him."

The guy nodded. "And do you have proof?"

The judge held up two photographs, the first of Kurt's cheek, the second of Blaine's battered back.

"The first could be caused by anything, say, a baseball, or a pole. The second just looks as if Mr. Anderson fell on some bars."

The prosecutor interrupted. "With all due respect, sir, if he 'fell on bars' as you put it, the bruises would be more consistent, as well as all the way across his back, not in spots on either side."

The judge nodded. "That is true. Mr. Harrison, please continue."

The defense attorney inclined his head. "Mr. Hummel, how are you feeling?"

"Wh-what?" Kurt was even more confused than before.

"Mr. Harrison! That is _not _an appropriate question! Please continue with the proper line of questioning." Kurt was glad the glare the judge gave Mr. Harrison was not directed at himself.

"If I may, Judge Ford, Mr. Anderson had some new evidence he would like to present in the form of accidental cellular telephone audio. It appears that he mistakenly set his phone to record what was taking place. Now, it is quite disturbing, so I advise the lighthearted to exit. This is the audio… of the rape of Mr. Anderson." The prosecutor looked grim. Kurt gasped, and got up to go to Blaine.

**(A/N: If you're uncomfortable with reading the audio, please skip italicized writing.) **

"Sit down, Mr. Hummel. We need you to hear this, too."

"But-"

Judge Ford glared at him. "_Sit._" He sat.

Blaine looked grimly at Kurt and lowered his head. The prosecutor pressed play.

"_Hello, beautiful. Now, we won't have any… problems, will we?"_

"_N-no. As long as you don't hurt Kurt." _There was a thunk.

"_Feel good? I'm much better than your fag boyfriend. He's such a girl. I bet you want to be dominated, don't you? I'll do that for you." _The rustle of clothing emitted from the phone sitting on the table innocently. Kurt squeezed his eyes shut.

A gasp. _"Wh-what are you doing?" _

"_What do you think, prettyboy? I'm gonna give it to you good." _Karofsky was just sitting placidly in his chair, arms crossed. Kurt wanted to kill him.

A scream. _"No! Fuck! It hurts! Stop!"_

"_You know you like it, beautiful. Don't lie." _Karofsky's voice was strained, as if he was gritting his teeth.

"_No, please." _It was whispered. There was a long pause, multiple minutes.

"_You were so good, prettyboy. So good." _More rustling of clothing. A thump.

Kurt looked up at the sound of his own voice. _"Karofsky."_

"_Hello, Pretty. I was just teaching your boyfriend here a lesson. And-"_

The audio clicked off. There must've been a time limit on it. Everyone in the courtroom stared at it. Blaine's parents were both crying, as well as Carole and Burt and most of the jury. Judge Ford took a deep breath before speaking.

"Jury, please make your decision." She got up, stepping off her platform and walking over to Blaine. The room burst out in whispers. She had never done that before, and most were pretty sure it was illegal. But she did it anyway, enveloping him in a hug when she was close enough.

"I have a grandson your age. And if anything happened to him… Are you sure you're going to be alright?" This was spoken quietly in Blaine's ear. He nodded, not trusting his tightened throat to reply verbally. She smiled sadly and patted his back once before returning to her podium.

A jury member spoke out. "A verdict has been reached. Guilty on charges of battery, sexual assault, and rape. Seven years, no probation." (1)

"And since Mr. Karofsky is 18, we will be having him taken to Lima County jail, not a juvenile delinquent center." Another member said.

Kurt could see Karofsky's face screw up, and he felt small joy fluttering in the pit of despair. He and Blaine would be safe for _seven years_! His heart leapt with happiness. _Seven years_! He glanced at Blaine… and his smile died. Blaine was just sitting there, emotionless, with his hands folded in his lap. Kurt read the torment in his eyes. He got up, ignoring the judge's instructions for him to sit down, and almost ran to Blaine, pulling him up by the elbow and hugging him with all he had. He pressed his forehead into Blaine's shoulder, hiding his teary eyes.

"We're going to be okay. Seven years, Blaine. You're safe." Kurt whispered against Blaine's neck. The older boy wrapped both arms tightly around Kurt's waist, sobbing into his hair.

"I didn't… I didn't want you to listen… I'm supposed to be strong… _Fuck._ Sorry." Blaine coughed out a barely coherent sentence.

"Shhh… How could anyone expect you to be strong after something like that? Blaine, you're amazing, and wonderful, and hot, and you may be weird but that's why I love you, and I love how you are obsessed with Disney movies and you make strange covers of their songs, and I love how at the end of the day, your hair is like a helmet from all the gel, and I love that you're taller than me and so proud of it, and I love that you like football even though you're gay, and your eyes that stare into my soul, and I love that you play the guitar, and I love your voice, and most of all, I love _you, _Blaine Anderson." Kurt pulled Blaine away from him so he could look in his eyes. "What did I ever do to deserve someone like you, Blaine?"

He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Blaine's cheek. The two just looked at each other from a distance of about 6 inches, both smiling softly.

"Fags!" Kurt was ripped out of happiness and tossed back into pain with one word from Karofsky. He spun around to glare at him. Guards were already coming to take him away, but Kurt had to go and speak his mind.

He practically sprinted to the jock, before security got there, and leaned in close to his face.

"I would say I wished you died, but no one deserves that, even you, Karofsky. I would say that I hope you endure more pain in jail than you could imagine, but that would be mean. I should say 'Fuck you', but that would be rude. So, I'll do this." Kurt slapped Karofsky across the cheek, and then walked quickly back to Blaine, where he kissed him on the cheek again and stood next to him protectively. No one even opened their mouth to reprimand him, and a couple clapped quietly. Even Dave's dad looked a little pleased. But that may have been Kurt's imagination. Before Karofsky could retaliate, the guards grabbed his arms and led him toward the exit of the courtroom, marked by huge wooden doors.

"You'll pay, faggots! You'll be sorry!" Karofsky shook out of his daze and screamed at Kurt and Blaine. The doors closed.

Someone clapped, and then two people, and then the entire courtroom applauded, including the judge and jury. The defense attorney just looked rather stunned. Judge Ford banged the gavel.

"Court adjourned."

xxxxx

Kurt was shaken awake by a devious-looking Blaine. Kurt had been surprised by how quickly Blaine had recovered from the 'Karofsky Incident'. It had been four days, and he guessed that now that the fear had gone, Blaine could return to normal. And it made Kurt's heart swell to unbelievable sizes to see him smiling again, and laughing with Wes and David.

"Hello? You said we were going to a surprise. And I want to go… now!" Blaine pounced on Kurt, laughing. Kurt grumbled and rolled over, still half asleep. He tumbled off the side in a flurry of sheets, Blaine going with him and landing hard perpendicular to the disgruntled younger boy.

"Gerroff." Kurt grumbled unintelligibly from under Blaine.

The older boy laughed, nearly crushing the boy stuck underneath him, and pushed himself off, landing back on the ground beside Kurt's head. "Hello again."

Kurt thought he was too chipper and bright for this early in the morning. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Eleven. God, Kurt, you sleep like a stick."

"I believe the expression is 'sleep like a log'."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't describe _that_ that way." He gestured at Kurt.

"Hey! Don't make jokes concerning my masculinity! Even if I tend to be feminine…"

Blaine burst out laughing. "Go get dressed. I want my surprise." He pouted.

Kurt got up and picked out an outfit suitable for "the surprise", walking into the bathroom. "I need a cold shower," He grumblingly admitted. The door closed behind him. As soon as it shut, Blaine set about primping. He kept a mirror on his nightstand for these purposes. Okay, for cleaning his face in the mornings, but still. He hurriedly patted his hair down and straightened his tie. Kurt made fun of him sometimes for always wearing his uniform, but Blaine supposed he was just a 'bad gay'. He wasn't in to fashion, or clothing at all, really. He would rather be comfortable in sweats than stuck in some expensive itchy sweater.

Blaine grabbed his -"horribly tacky", as Kurt put it more than once- neon pink sunglasses and placed them delicately atop his head.

In the (frigid) shower, Kurt was mentally beating his forehead on the wall. He was so ungraceful, and idiotic, and tacky. Just like Blaine's sunglasses! God, those things were awful. Kurt took pride in the knowledge that he would never wear anything as hideously atrocious as neon pink glasses.

xxxxx

"Where are we going? Can I open my eyes yet?" Blaine stumbled after Kurt, hand in hand.

"Wait… And, open!" Kurt looked back at Blaine expectantly.

"Oh my gosh, Kurt, this is amazing! You're amazing! And _this _is why I love you." At Kurt's inquisitive eyebrow, Blaine laughed. "I loved you anyway, but this is… totally awesome." He gestured to the scene before them.

"Oh, sure." Kurt said teasingly. "Now, this is going to get cold if we don't sit down." He guided Blaine onto the large checkered blanket. A candle rested in the middle of it, and there was a beautiful arrangement of food surrounding the flame.

"This is the most incredible picnic I've ever been to. And the most romantic."

Kurt blushed. "Glad you like it…"

Blaine scooted over to the younger boy and rested his head on his shoulder momentarily, then looked in his beautiful blue eyes. "I love you, Kurt."

"I love you, too." They ate in comfortable silence.

xxxxx

When they were through eating, Kurt stood and pulled Blaine up after him. "C'mon." Blaine followed, albeit questioningly. Kurt led them to a small pond, where the Westerville lights glittered and shone on the water, rippling softly. It was nighttime, and the stars twinkled brightly from in between the trees. Nothing was awake but the two figures leaning on each other in the darkness, just shadows in the night. Kurt took Blaine's hand again, after reveling in the beauty of the pond, and brought him to a small wooden boat drifting in the water. They both clambered in, Kurt taking the oars. He paddled them out to the middle of the pond, where Blaine's eyes shone beautifully in the moonlight and his skin glowed.

_You and me, we like the same kind of music,  
>That's why we make a good you and me.<br>We got style, baby we know how to use it.  
>That's why we make a good you and me.<em>

_You know what I'm going to say before my mouth even makes a sound  
>And that's why we make a good you and me.<em>

Kurt started softly, slowly crescendo-ing. Blaine grinned and joined in.

_You and me, we couldn't stand being normal,  
>That's why we make a good you and me.<br>We both laugh at the most random situations,  
>That's the key, baby don't you agree?<em>

_You know what I'm going to say before my mouth even makes a sound,  
>And that's why we make a good you and me.<br>I know from the sound of your breathing exactly what you are thinking,  
>That is why we make a good you and me,<br>Make a good you and me.  
>Make a good you and me,<br>You and me…_

_Ah ah ah ah  
>You and me, all that we need is each other<br>That's why we make a good you and me._

_You know what I'm going to say before my mouth even makes a sound,  
>And that's why we make a good you and me.<br>You know from the sound of my breathing exactly what I am feeling,  
>This is why we make a good you and me,<br>Make a good you and me,  
>Make a good you and me,<br>You and me…_

Kurt let go of the oars and leaned forward, Blaine mirroring him. They held both hands, and their lips met. If Kurt had been thinking clearly, it would have been the most romantic thing in his entire life. Blaine broke away softly.

"Kurt, where did the oars go?" He had a small smirk on his face.

Kurt looked around. Both the oars had drifted about 10 feet from either side of the boat. "Crap! I forgot to tie them! Now what?"

Blaine's smile grew. Kurt was a little worried. "We swim."

"What?" Kurt shrieked. "It's _Ohio water_, in _November_! We'll freeze! My clothes will be ruined! My hair will be destroyed! We'll catch hypothermia and die! We'll-" Blaine silenced him with another kiss.

"Now, do you see any other options?" He smiled encouragingly. "Besides, if it's the swimming you're afraid of, I can help you. Plus, it can't be that deep, right?"

Kurt scoffed. "I am _not _afraid of _swimming_! Jeez, I'll do it. But if we die, I'm blaming you."

Blaine grinned. He shucked his blazer, tie, shirt, shoes and socks, and then pants, setting them in the bottom of the boat. Kurt forgot to breath. He had almost forgotten what Blaine looked like undressed.

"…Kurt? Are you going to swim in your clothing? You should probably start stripping instead of checking me out." The damn eyebrow was rising again.

Kurt blushed. "R-right." He undid the buttons on his vest, taking it off and folding it neatly. He pulled his shirt over his head self-consciously and folded that, too, placing it on top of the vest. He slipped of his shoes and wriggled out of his pants, all the while looking down uncomfortably, feeling the holes Blaine's eyes were boring into him.

"Well, you took you own sweet time, didn't you?" Blaine stood, rocking the tiny dingy dangerously. "Come on!" He dove gracefully into the frigid water, popping up about three feet away. His teeth were chattering. "C-come on in-n… Th-the water's f-fin-ne…"

Kurt scowled, got up, and touched one toe to the surface of the pond. He pulled it back out almost immediately. He sighed and jumped in. And promptly died. Okay, maybe not _died, _but the water was so cold he felt like it. He bobbed back to the top and glared at Blaine.

"Th-this was-s an aw-awful i-idea, B-Blain-ne."

The other boy just smiled painfully at him. "H-help me p-pull th-the b-boat-t back-ck." He hooked one arm around the side of the dingy and started kicking. Kurt copied him, and soon they were able to touch the bottom of the pond. They sprinted as fast as their water-inhibited legs would go, pulling the boat up on the grass and falling beside it, chests heaving. Kurt began to shiver violently. Blaine was shaking too, but he got up and grabbed the picnic blanket (Kurt was not above watching his wet-boxer clad backside), pulled Kurt up (which proved difficult because he was curled in a ball), stuck him in the beached dingy, followed, and draped the blanket over the two of them, lying in the bottom of the boat. They instinctively curled close together, trying to share body heat.

"You have t-to stay-y aw-awake, your b-body t-temp-perature drop-ps when you sl-sleep-p." Blaine whispered gently in Kurt's ear.

The other boy yawned. "But-t I'm-m ti-tired."

"Kurt, Kurt! Stay awake." This whisper was more urgent. If Kurt fell asleep, there was nothing he could do to keep the younger boy warm. Kurt just yawned again. Blaine thought fast -or didn't think at all-, and traced his hand lightly over Kurt's bare stomach, just brushing the top of his boxers. The other boy's eyes shot open. Blaine stopped.

"The hell did you stop for?" Kurt voice was garbled and muffled by the blanket, but Blaine understood and laughed.

"Had to get you awake. Get up, we need to go. This is just a temporary solution. Soon the blanket will soak through and it will just get colder."

"Colder?" Kurt eyed him. "Fine. But you get to drive."

Blaine smiled, his eyes crinkling at the sides. "Okay. C'mon." He got up and reached for Kurt's hand. They ran to Kurt's car and jumped in their respective sides, Kurt draping the blanket over Blaine once they were settled. Blaine pressed the gas and they were off. Kurt turned on the radio to Enrique Iglesias' song 'Tonight', and since it was after midnight, this particular station stopped censoring. Kurt felt immensely awkward.

And of course, Blaine sang along. "...You're so damn pretty. If I had a type, then baby, it would be you. I know you're ready, if I never lied, then baby you'd be the truth. Here's the situation, been to every nation, nobody's ever made me feel the way that you do. You know my motivation, given my reputation, please excuse me I don't mean to be rude, but tonight I'm-"

"Oh look, we're here." Kurt interrupted loudly. Blaine grinned secretly. He rather loved making Kurt feel awkward. They pulled into the Dalton parking lot with the headlights turned off. Kurt had lost track of time, and the curfew was midnight. It was one. _Whoops. _Kurt left the blanket in the car and the two crept into the building in their underwear. If they were caught, they would have _extreme _explaining to do. Blaine peered around a corner and gestured to Kurt to follow. The two tiptoed across campus; both wished Darwin was closer to the front. They finally made it to their wing, and the long, empty hallway that contained their room. _Crap._ Blaine double- and triple-checked to see that the coast was clear, and then they ran for it.

Kurt flung open the door, and they collapsed on the floor. Blaine looked at Kurt, and started laughing. It was contagious, and Kurt giggled, too.

"I can't believe we just did that! In our _underwear_!" Blaine exclaimed. Kurt felt suddenly self-conscious again. He hurriedly got up and jumped into his bed, pulling the covers up to his neck.

"You can't seriously be _insecure_. We just _ran all the way across campus in our underwear,_ and _now _you're freaking out? What? Kurt, does that even make sense?"

The other boy's voice was muffled from the sheets. "When have I ever made sense?"

Blaine laughed. "Get out of bed, you're still wet. You'll ruin the sheets."

"Typical gay, worrying about the sheets. Get me a towel." Kurt grumbled, getting out of bed slowly. He realized how cold it was in the room and commenced shivering violently. Blaine had already dried off (how, Kurt had no idea; his boyfriend was a ninja) and pulled on some pajama pants. He had decided to forgo a shirt. Kurt blushed and shivered at the same time. Blaine's abs went into the bathroom and reemerged a second later with a fluffy white towel. They handed it to the younger boy and were sadly obscured with a pair of arms. Kurt lightly fantasized cutting the arms off.

"…Kurt? My face is up here, hun." Blaine's eyebrow was raised. Not that Kurt would know, as he was still staring at the arms with an evil expression. "Kurt!"

"Wha- Sorry, sorry!" Kurt turned scarlet. "Uhm… Thanks for the towel…" He wrapped it around himself awkwardly. Blaine laughed.

"Oh, get over it." He pinched Kurt's arm, smiling.

xxxxx

"I still don't understand why you are kidnapping me. It's rather… evil of you." Kurt said sarcastically.

Wes laughed. "David and I have something to show you. He's waiting at our super-secret destination. You'll see."

"Did you really have to tie me up and throw me in the back of your car?"

"At least I didn't duct tape your mouth."

"True, true. Hey, speaking of you and David, is there anything going on between the two of you? Because you seem really… close."

Wes laughed harder. He choked out an answer in between peals of laughter. "Really- close? We're just- good fr- friends. It's hilar- hilarious that- you think so- though."

Kurt went to scratch his head embarrassedly, but his hands caught halfway to his face. Oh, right. The twine that connected his wrists together also wrapped around Wes' chair and was tied to his belt loop. _Crud._ Wes had been extremely over-the-top with the whole kidnapping thing, coming into Kurt's room -while he was studying- dressed in black, putting a handkerchief over his mouth (Kurt guessed it was "chloroform"; it smelled like soap), tying his hands, and racing out the door, avoiding frequently-used hallways and anywhere teachers would be. And now he refused to tell him where the heck they were going. Kurt sighed and gave into looking out the window placidly.

"We're here! Close your eyes," Wes said sternly.

"Fine, fine. Eyes closed." Kurt heard a door open and shut, and then another open. His hands were pulled by the twine binding them, and he slid out of the car. A blindfold was placed over his eyes. Kurt's tied hands went to it, but Wes made a scolding noise and grabbed them.

"No way. We aren't there yet." Kurt scowled. Wes led him forward, and Kurt started counting the steps. _48, 49, 50, 5-. _They stopped. The blue blindfold was lifted from his blue eyes. Blaine stood in front of him, smiling. Kurt melted all over again. And then he noticed where he was standing. In front of a hot air balloon. _Crap. _Kurt was pretty sure Blaine knew he was afraid of heights.

"Hi, Kurt. I hope Wes didn't go too crazy, although going from the fact that your hands are tied together," He raised an eyebrow at Wes, who shrugged sheepishly, "I'm just going to apologize for his insanity right now."

"It wasn't too bad, really. I might have marks from the twine, though. Anyway, why in the world are we at a hot air balloon rental? And why are Wes and David here? No offense, guys." Kurt questioned Blaine.

David answered for him. "If we stayed at Dalton we totally would have missed out on a balloon ride. But don't worry; we'll be in a different one than you and Mr. Romantic, here."

Blaine scowled at him. "You suck."

"Your mother," Wes interjected. The three that the joke wasn't directed at laughed. Blaine just gave Wes the death glare. Kurt was mildly frightened.

"Yeah, yeah. We should probably get going, we have a time schedule."

Kurt's heart dropped through his stomach and slithered out a toe. "Wh-what?"

Blaine noticed his apprehension. "Hey, you two, go ahead and get started. We'll be just a minute." Wes and David nodded and left toward a purple balloon with an instructor-looking person standing in front of it. Blaine gazed at Kurt with sympathy and confusion.

"Are you alright?"

Kurt took a sudden fascination with his shoes. "Yeah. Of course I am. I mean, why wouldn't I be? We're just going up hundreds of feet in a basket. I'm totally okay." Kurt realized he was becoming hysterical, but couldn't really help it. Blaine enveloped the younger boy in a huge bear hug.

"I'll keep you safe," He whispered.

Kurt nodded slowly. "Okay… I trust you."

Blaine grinned. "Alright then! Off we go! Oh, and Kurt, is that all you brought to keep warm? It gets cold up there." Kurt just lifted his still-bound wrists in explanation.

"Oh." Blaine untied him. "C'mon. We learned three days ago that body heat is the best option. If you get cold, I am so there." Kurt blushed. Blaine grabbed his newly-free hand and took him to the balloon behind them by about 30 feet.

"Hello there! This is the best time to go on a balloon ride, sunset is so romantic." Their instructor's teeth gleamed. Kurt felt a little uncomfortable.

"Now," He said, "Who wants to learn first? How about you?" He gestured to Kurt, who looked at him with huge eyes. "That's right, come here, you."

Kurt slowly walked up to the guy, who looked about twenty. Unfortunately, he had to let go of Blaine's hand in order to do this.

"And what might your name be?" The guy grinned. He reminded Kurt of a significantly cuter Joker.

"Kurt."

"Nice to meet you, Kurt. I'm Matt." He stuck out a hand. Kurt shook it delicately, Matt holding on a little longer than normal. Kurt hoped Blaine didn't notice.

"Now, first you have to get into the basket." Matt guided Kurt up into the basket, which was made of sturdy wicker, and then got in himself. There wasn't much room. Kurt leaned back against the edge, but Matt scolded him.

"Uh-uh-uh. First rule: stay near the middle. That way you don't overbalance the basket. Second rule: Make sure you can see the flame _at all times._ You need to know how large it is." Matt said the last sentence with a verbal wink and subtle undertones directed at Kurt. He moved closer to the nervous boy and grabbed his hands, placing them on a rope and not letting go. Kurt looked at Blaine, but he was standing near Wes and David's balloon, talking with them, laughing. Matt spoke quietly.

"To control the heat, you have to pull on this. Pull hard for more flame. Heat equals height." Matt's mouth was nearly touching Kurt's ear. "It's not the only thing that can be pulled on." He inconspicuously bit Kurt's earlobe and moved back. "These sandbags are tied with a rope that you need only yank on to release. Make sure there are no balloons underneath you, as they tend to be… messy. Don't drop too many of these, it'll make it harder to _come _back down." He grinned at Kurt's involuntary shiver. "And it gets cold up there; make sure you keep warm, with a jacket or… otherwise." He winked. Kurt smiled falsely and went to exit the basket. Matt's hand traced his butt for the slightest of seconds. The younger boy jumped and spun back around. He supposed Matt took that as more than it was, for he darted forward and captured Kurt's lips in a kiss. Kurt went to pull back, but Matt grabbed his (still raw from the twine) wrists to hold him there. Kurt fought against him, but this guy was older, and stronger, too. Kurt heard a shout, and then rapid footsteps. He was violently yanked back, out of the basket and Matt's grasp. His thoughts finally caught up with him, and he started crying, turning his head into Blaine's shoulder.

"How _dare _you touch him? _How dare you? _You are a horrible excuse for a human being, taking advantage of a _clearly _younger boy! It's people like you that make me _sick._ You're disgusting!" Blaine blew up at Matt, nearly screaming at him.

"Whoa, calm down, it was just a kiss, man." Matt held up his hands in mock surrender.

"It was not '_just a kiss_', because he tried to get away! _And, _you don't know what we've been through!" Blaine shouted at him.

"You're, like, 17, how could anything _that _horrible have happened to you?" Matt sneered.

"You don't even want to know, bastard. Now, _get out of the balloon._ I came to have a good time, not to have my _boyfriend _attacked by some sex-deprived college kid!"

"Whoa, okay, chill, man. I'm leaving." Matt stepped down out of the balloon and started walking off. He noticed Blaine's look and ran. Kurt was still turned into Blaine's shoulder, crying. Blaine tilted his chin up.

"It's okay, Hon. You'll be just fine." Blaine smiled encouragingly at Kurt.

"But-but… He grabbed me… and I couldn't get away… It's my fault! I should have been stronger!" He sobbed harder.

"Hey, now. It is _so _not your fault. You couldn't have done anything." Blaine kissed Kurt lightly on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Kurt smiled through his tears.

"Now, let's get going. The sunset will be gone, soon." Blaine laughed at Kurt's wide eyes. "What?"

"I'm… kind of afraid of heights, remember?" Kurt scuffed a shoe, not even caring that he was going to regret it later.

"Hey, and when you mentioned it before, I said I would keep you safe, right? Why would I go back on that promise now?" Blaine asked gently.

"I know you'll keep me safe, but- God, you have no idea… You just don't."

Blaine raised an isosceles eyebrow. "I know what it's like to be afraid, I do. So, I can for sure understand. Just saying."

Kurt winced. "I know that! Fine, let's just… go ahead…" He sighed when Blaine pumped a fist in the air.

"Alright! Now, did you manage to learn anything when you were fending off that jerk?"

Kurt frowned.

Blaine was quick to correct. "No, no, no! I so didn't mean it like that! I just meant that- how could you learn when- he was just so- ugh." He frowned, too.

"I understand. Now all this is turning into is one big pity party for the both of us. Come on, Wes and David are already in the air and laughing at us." Kurt stepped up into the basket. "Wow, this thing is tiny… and rickety… Blaine, remind me again why I'm doing this?"

"Because you love me." The older boy said innocently.

Kurt made a face at him. "Get in here. Hurry up." Blaine complied.

Kurt pulled on the rope, and up they went. Slowly at first, but they gained speed and were soon zooming upwards. Kurt's hands were shaking on the rope. Blaine noticed. He covered Kurt's hands with his own, steadying them.

"It's okay. I got you."

Kurt smiled at him. "Thanks."

Blaine looked out of the basket. "Okay, I think that's good. Come look." He tugged at Kurt's hand, pulling him to the side. The basket swung dangerously. Kurt flailed his arms, losing his balance. He fell forward, through the ropes hitched to the corners of the wicker. His body hung backwards over the edge, and he was falling quickly. Blaine lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, hauling him back in. They both sat on the floor of the balloon, panting heavily. In reality, Kurt probably wouldn't have even fallen out, but he was always one for theatrics.

"Oh my god, Blaine, you saved my life! Oh my god I almost died!" Kurt flung himself into Blaine's lap, stretching his arms around the other boy's shoulders. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I love you!" He attached his lips to Blaine's.

The older boy was startled, but recovered quickly and kissed Kurt back. He curled his arms around his boyfriend, one hand on the back of his neck and the other resting at the small of his back. It was a little difficult, seeing as Kurt was still sitting in his lap.

Kurt pulled back, resting his forehead on Blaine's. "I love you."

Blaine bonked the younger boy's head lightly with his own. "I love you, too. But we really need to get up..." Kurt sighed and rolled gracefully out of Blaine's lap, standing and helping Blaine up. They both gasped at the beauty before them. Purples, pinks, bloodreds and oranges filled the sky. Kurt knew why Blaine picked this time of day to go hot-air-ballooning. It was wonderful. Kurt leaned back against Blaine, who wrapped his arms around Kurt's shoulders.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear.

"Amazingly so." Kurt smiled. "And so are you."

Blaine nuzzled Kurt's neck with his nose. "You're the awesome one."

"Totally," Kurt said sarcastically. "We almost got frostbite and died when I surprised you."

Blaine laughed quietly. "But you almost fell out and died when _I_ surprised _you_. So we're even."

Kurt grinned.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Tomorrow marks the 30th day." Blaine smiled at Kurt's questioning look. "It's our one month anniversary tomorrow!"

Kurt gasped. "It totally slipped my mind! I'm going to have to go out tonight and…" He glanced at Blaine suspiciously, "Do… something…"

"Right. Oh, hey! Tomorrow is the start of Winter Break, too!" Blaine did some awkward fist-pumping. Kurt giggled.

"We get a three-week break and _Christmas _for our anniversary! Wait, did you just verbally capitalize 'winter break'?"

"Yup."

Kurt looked at him. "Blaine, did you just say 'Yup'?"

"That I did. And, it seems as though we are out of time. Do you remember how to descend?" Kurt nodded, maneuvering out of Blaine's light grip and adjusting the flame so they slowly drifted back towards Earth.

"Thank you for doing this. It was so much more amazing than my date…" Kurt looked downcast.

"No way. They were both amazing." Kurt could hear the smile in Blaine's voice. He glanced at Blaine, who was gazing softly at him.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just that once again, your beauty astounds and captivates me." Blaine stared honestly at him.

Kurt blushed. "I'm not… I don't get why you think… Oh, and now I'm blushing again. Wonderous."

"You are, Hon. I love you." He tapped the end of Kurt's nose.

"I love you, too."

xxxxx

"I could definitely get used to this." Kurt sighed as he leaned back on the lawn chair. He and Blaine had gone to an expensive spa-type resort thing for their One-Month. An artificial sun shone down on the pair, who had sunglasses, swim trunks, big floppy hats, and virgin pina coladas. Blaine had just gotten out of the near-deserted pool, so he was still wet. Kurt was in awe of what Blaine had done, getting them into this exclusive, usually adults-only resort spa. Kurt didn't want to even think of the cost. And how did he manage to get two 17 year-olds in? Kurt had never thought about how well-off Blaine was, or even asked about his family really at all.

"Hey Blaine? Can I ask you a question?" Kurt turned his head to look at his boyfriend, who was on his stomach, arms crossed and head resting on them.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, of course."

"Why do you never talk about your family? The only time you've even mentioned them was a month ago… When you told me about your… past…" There really was no delicate way to phrase it.

"Oh. I just don't see them much. My brother Darren is in college, at the University of Texas down in Austin, so he's only home for holidays, and even then… Anyway, my mom and dad both work. My mom's a fashion designer for Chanel," Kurt gasped, "Yes, really. And my dad owns a company called Anderson Programming. It's software engineering mostly. And obviously, I'm at Dalton, so I don't go home much. That's all."

"…Blaine? I have a slightly… personal question for you, too." Blaine nodded in consent. "How much- I mean, how well-off are you? Because this was obviously expensive, and that hot air ballooning trip was pricey, too…"

Blaine laughed quietly. "I'm well-off. Let's just say I can afford it. I don't enjoy talking money, so…"

Kurt blushed. "Sorry."

"Nah. Don't be… Oh, Kurt? Since this is confession hour, can I tell you something?"

"Go ahead."

"I know I act all… knowledgeable and strong, but I don't really know anything, at all. Kurt, I've never even had a boyfriend before, let alone one as amazing as you."

"Oh, well, um… If it makes it any better, I haven't, either, and the guys I crush on are usually straight. And trust me, I'm not amazing…"

Blaine sat up abruptly. "Come with me." He stood, pulling Kurt with him. He took the younger boy back to their room, and into the bathroom. He positioned Kurt in front of the mirror. Kurt looked away. Blaine lightly grabbed either side of his head, guiding it back up.

"Look. What do you see?"

Kurt blinked. "I see me."

"Look deeper. Everyone sees you, but what do _you_ see?" Blaine spoke earnestly.

"I don't know … But, Blaine, what is this even supposed to do?"

"You always deny it when I say something good about you. At first, I thought you were fishing for compliments, but then I realized you just didn't believe me. You think you're less than perfect, and that you'll never be anywhere close to amazing. Well, Kurt, I'm here to prove you wrong. Here's what I see: I see intelligence, and beauty, and empathy, sympathy, a huge heart, kindness, a want to be successful, patience… If I listed everything we would be here all day. Kurt, you are so much more than amazing, and in fact, by saying that, I'm saying a diamond is pretty. A diamond isn't pretty; it's beautiful, and lustrous, and sparkly, and it glitters in the sunlight. And _so do you._ You sparkle, Kurt. You really do."

"I… Thank you." Kurt looked up at Blaine, smiled almost shyly. Blaine pressed a soft kiss to Kurt's cheek.

"Kurt? Do you want to know why I brought you in here?" Kurt nodded. "It's because I was afraid for you. Low self-esteem leads to depression, which leads to self-harm… Believe me, Kurt, I've been there. But I escaped. It took a year, but Wes and David brought me out of it. I haven't cut in five months." Blaine shakily lifted the sides of his swim trunks. Silvery scars crisscrossed his thighs. Kurt gasped. "They're there because it was less obvious and easier to hide. Kurt, I never, _ever_ want you to get to that place, to be so deep in it all to think that hurting yourself is the only solution. _Never._" Blaine furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Kurt truthfully.

"Oh, Blaine!" Kurt flung himself at the other boy, who was only around six inches away. Blaine lost his balance, and they both fell backwards out of the bathroom, onto the carpet.

"Ooof!" The breath was knocked out of Blaine by Kurt and the floor. He was sandwiched between the two, and if he could breathe, he might've liked it, a little. "Kurt, get. off. I cannot breathe."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! We were having a serious moment and then I went and knocked us over! God, I'm so idiotic!" He rolled off of Blaine and hit himself in the forehead with his hand.

Blaine smiled softly. "And that brings me to my second point. Every time you say something negative about yourself, I want you to say two positive things as well. That way, you'll know of more good qualities than bad. Good always overcomes evil, even if the good guys finish last. It may take longer, but wouldn't you rather take a little more time to do something you're proud of than a split second to do something you're not? I chose the easy way, Kurt. Don't make that decision, too."

Kurt looked at Blaine with his heart. "I won't." His eyes portrayed the essence of truthfulness. Blaine pulled him into a hug, both boys still sitting on the floor.

"Now, I heard there's a special spa treatment, and I think you'll enjoy it." Blaine winked at Kurt, who squealed (though he definitely wouldn't admit it).

xxxxx

The two spent three days at the resort, named Deer Creek, and then went home. Kurt was both happy and sad to go. Happy, because the sexual tension was palpable, but Kurt didn't want to even mention anything to Blaine, not wanting to push him. Sad, because, come on, it was paradise. But they had to go to an (unnecessary, in Kurt's opinion) Warbler's meeting on the first Tuesday of winter break. Kurt still felt a little awkward around the other members, but not as much as when he had first transferred. The group was very welcoming, and even sang Kurt a We're-Glad-You're-Here-and-Don't-Ever-Leave type of song. But a small group of the Warblers, Kurt had noticed, didn't participate in it, and sat to one side, whispering. Kurt worried that they didn't accept him, and that was what made him uncomfortable with the rest of the Warblers. But only one of the three was here today, and that made him feel a little better.

The meeting was boring, as they usually were, and ended quickly. Kurt thanked whatever guy in the sky that it wasn't even over thirty minutes.

"Oh, Kurt, I'll be right back. I have to ask David something." Blaine tapped Kurt's shoulder, and the younger boy nodded. Blaine told him to go on back to their room, and that he would catch up later. He walked off in the direction of Wes, David, and a couple other senior council members. Kurt left the room, not really paying attention to where he was going. He had been at Dalton for almost a month and still was nowhere near exploring every crevice and nook. Kurt soon found himself in the bright corridor he and Blaine had taken as a shortcut when they first met. The sun was shining through the tall picture windows lining the hall, and Kurt couldn't resist the urge to just sit in a chair and look outside. He plopped down in a red armchair that smelled 100 years old, but it was a good smell. He relaxed, leaning his head on the back of the chair and gazing out over the Dalton gardens. His eyelids soon grew heavy, and he began drifting off…

"There you are! I've been looking for you." Kurt looked up sleepily, his tired eyes resting on the face of the boy who didn't sing.

"Huh?" Kurt couldn't recall ever speaking to this Warbler, let alone giving him a reason to seek him out.

"I wanted to ask why you dared to join the Warblers. We are an esteemed organization, and we _don't_ need someone like _you_ in it." The boy glared at him. Kurt sat up straighter.

"What are you talking about? Anyone at Dalton with a good voice can join the Warblers." Kurt was confused.

"I've been talking with some of the other members, and they all agree that _you_ shouldn't be allowed in." He spoke the word 'you' with contempt and disgust. Kurt was beginning to realize what he meant.

"You mean someone who's gay." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, I do. Queers shouldn't be let into the Warblers, we're highly ranked and don't need you to soil our reputation."

Kurt stood slowly. "You know what? It's people like you that 'soil our reputation'. You're just an ignorant homophobe!"

The boy laughed. "No, I'm just someone who cares about what I, as a Warbler, am thought of as, and if I am in ranks with a homo, my rep isn't going to be good. Neither will the Warblers as a whole."

"I hope you realize that Blaine has been a Warbler for around a year, right? He's gay."

The boy shook his head. "But he's not girly. You're just _wrong_; you're a dude who acts like a girl! It isn't _natural._"

Kurt may have had a strong exterior, but on the inside he was cracking. Karofsky used physical intimidation; this guy was psychological, and good at it. Kurt could feel it getting to him. "It may not be _natural_, but neither are glasses, or polyester, and those are an everyday occurrence. I may act feminine sometimes, but at least I'm not a _jerk._ I may be wrong, but you definitely aren't right."

The boy stormed forward, walking right up to Kurt. The shorter boy wobbled a little, not expecting it. The other boy put both hands on Kurt's shoulders, shaking him a little.

"Get this through your thick head: we don't want you in the Warblers, and you might as well go kill yourself, because you're never going to amount to anything." His voice was sharp.

Kurt felt tears escape his eyes and roll down his cheeks. The boy laughed harshly.

"You're too weak to go anywhere in this world. You should off yourself, so you're not wasting any more space." The worst part was that Kurt knew he meant every single venomous word. "There're lots of different ways… Rope, jumping, drowning, pills, or cutting. The blade would be my choice for you because it's the most painful, and takes the longest." He smiled maliciously.

More tears trailed Kurt's face. The other boy was still shaking him. Kurt couldn't believe it was even happening. He had thought he was safe at Dalton, out of harm's way, but he had failed to realize that there were homophobes and bigots everywhere, and that you couldn't escape them.

"You're ugly, too, you stupid queer. And what's with those hideous matching outfits you wear to weekend Warbler practice? Don't you realize those are girly clothes? _Normal_ guys don't wear frills and pink."

"Maybe not frills, but pink is the manliest color out there. Get your hands off my boyfriend, Nathan." Blaine was Kurt's knight in shining armor. Nathan flinched and let go of Kurt, turning to face Blaine.

"What do you want? I was just having a conversation with Kurt."

"Nathan, I want you to leave. I want you to leave and never, ever, let me see you touching Kurt again. Do you understand?" Blaine's face was stormy, and frankly, he was terrifying.

All Nathan did was nod, running out of the corridor. Blaine watched him go, and then turned to Kurt. The younger boy was doing all he could to stop the flow of tears, to no avail. Blaine pulled Kurt into a hug.

"Oh, Honey, he really got to you, didn't he? You shouldn't listen to anything he or _anyone_ says. You're wonderful, and I wish I had gotten here earlier. I'm so sorry, baby." He kissed the top of Kurt's head. The younger boy was sobbing into Blaine's shoulder, having given up on holding the tears back.

The older boy rubbed his back, making soft, soothing noises, content to just stand there comforting him.

"Blaine?" Kurt sniffled, "Do you think I'm too feminine?" His voice was muffled, as his face was curled into the crook of the other boy's neck.

"I think you're perfect however you are. Don't let _anything_ that Nathan says get to you. He's just an ignorant bigot, and I'm sorry you had to meet him."

Kurt looked at Blaine. His eyes were red and puffy and his face was covered in tears. "Really? You-you think so?" He asked shyly.

"I do. Kurt, you're wonderful, and I never want you to change for _anyone._ And I promise I will never make you do anything you don't want to."

"Blaine, what did I do to deserve someone as amazingly perfect as you?"

The older boy smiled. "You were born."

xxxxx

"No, Mercedes, I am not going to wear that! I'd look like a Wicked hipster!" Kurt scoffed at the black and green outfit lying before him. He was ecstatic to finally spend some time with Mercedes, and surprisingly, Rachel. He found that she was less annoying and controlling when he wasn't around her all the time. She had mentioned that it was because Kurt was her biggest rival when he was at McKinley. After all, no one else could match her vocal range and talent.

"I agree. You look like Elphaba after an FTM surgery." Rachel interjected from her seat in the dressing room. She and Mercedes were picking out clothing for Kurt and then critiquing them. Kurt wondered why they chose them if they were just going to dismiss them once they were on his body.

"Which, by the way, you could totally pull off at a costume party." Mercedes added.

Kurt sighed. "But I'm not _going_ to a costume party! I'm _going_ to a fancy dinner with Blaine! It's our one-month anniversary dinner!"

Rachel looked at him. Wasn't your one-month like a week ago?"

Mercedes answered for Kurt. "Blaine took him to an all-inclusive indoor resort spa called Deer Creek for their anniversary since it's winter break. They had a Warblers meeting yesterday, so today is the first opening since school ended."

Kurt looked at her. "Wow, Mercedes, do you stalk me, or do I just tell you everything?"

She shrugged. "A little bit of both."

They all laughed.

"Oh, Kurt, how about this one?" Rachel held out a shirt-pants combo. Kurt gasped.

"That's the one. That is the one. Give it here so I can try it on. I already know it's perfect, just for sizing." Rachel smiled and handed the clothes to Kurt, who dashed into a stall to change. When he opened the door, both girls ooh'd and aah'd.

"That looks stunning, Kurt! Lemme take a picture!" Cedes whipped out her cell phone and snapped a picture of Kurt posing in the clothing. They all laughed at it. "I am sending this to… everyone!" Mercedes tapped a button, just before Kurt screamed at her not to.

"You have Blaine's number in there! Oh my god, cancel the text, hurry!" He flailed at her. She paled, frantically pressing buttons on her phone to stop the message.

"There! Thank goodness he's last on my contacts list. And you said it was weird to have it listed anti-alphabetically! Kurt, my weirdness just saved your life." Mercedes smirked at the freaked-out boy.

"Yeah. Um, Mercedes, I think I'm just going to die now." Kurt sank into a nearby chair.

Rachel was just watching the scene. She glanced at the time on her phone, taking a minute to read it because it was hard to see with the background picture. She had found a website recently where you could put your face into a variety of pictures. She had freaked when she found the Broadway one. Unfortunately, it was black and white, hence the difficulty reading.

"Hey, guys? It's 4:30. Doesn't Kurt need to be there at 5:20?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Oh my god! I have to go get ready! You two, come with me so I can buy this… Oh look, it's on sale. Cool… Come on, girls! I'm going to be late!" Kurt gestured wildly to Cedes and Rachel, nearly sprinting to the cash register. He hurriedly paid, rushing out the door before the cashier could even say, "Thank you for shopping at the Gap!". The trio flew into Kurt's car, revving the engine and speeding off towards Kurt's house.

The ride there was tense, everyone glancing at the time every two seconds and no one daring to talk, Mercedes and Rachel afraid of having their heads bitten off, Kurt concentrating on driving, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. Once they arrived, Kurt jumped out of the car and ran into the house, the girls following suit. It was 4:45.

Kurt ran down to his room and changed, going into the bathroom and furiously patting and fluffing his hair. Mercedes and Rachel sat on his bed, talking and watching Kurt with mild amusement. 5:00. He stopped more than once in the middle of his room, looking around in multiple directions at once for something. _And… Shoes!_ 5:15. The flustered boy slipped on some nice shoes and ran back upstairs, the girls following at a more leisurely pace. Kurt sped to the door. 5:20. The doorbell rang. Kurt didn't want to seem like an overobsessed loser, so he counted to five before opening the door. Blaine's smiling face came into view, and the last stressful hour faded from Kurt's memory.

"Hey." Blaine grinned at him. He whipped out flowers magically from behind his back. Kurt clutched his heart.

"Blaine, these are beautiful! You're so wonderful." He took the flowers, sticking his nose in them.

Blaine laughed. "You look nice."

"So do you." The older boy was wearing an unbuttoned "casual" black suit with a green bowtie. Kurt himself had on a loose white long-sleeve shirt with elastic at the bottom, off one shoulder. He had a blue beret resting crookedly on his head and matching blue sailor-style pants. Kurt was pleased and somewhat relieved to see the evil pink sunglasses nowhere on his boyfriend's person.

Blaine held out an arm. "Shall we go?"

Kurt made an unidentifiable noise. "You are _such_ a gentleman. How am I so lucky to have you?" He poked Blaine's chest and took the proffered arm. The pair walked to Blaine's Porsche, Blaine walking around the car and opening the door for Kurt. The younger boy made that noise again. Neither noticed Rachel and Mercedes peeping out from the window, watching them drive off, giggling the entire time.

Kurt had thought they were going to Breadstix, but apparently not, as he watched the buildings pass them. He looked at Blaine questioningly, but the other boy just smirked. They drove for around fifteen minutes more, buildings flashing by and gradually growing smaller. Kurt didn't know what to think. Soon, they reached a small farmhouse-type establishment. Blaine pulled into the parking lot, and Kurt realized it was called _Macy's Grill and Karaoke Bar_. He raised an eyebrow.

"Now, before you freak out, half is the grill, half is the bar, and while we can't actually _drink_ anything, we can sing. But only if you want to. There's a wall separating the two parts, and they have really good food, and…" Blaine nervously tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

Kurt laughed at his nervousness. "It sounds great." He looked at the sky, which was darker than it should be for almost six P.M. The threat of rain was large and heavy in the air. "Let's get inside before it rains. My clothing has been ruined by water one too many times." They both laughed, remembering the incident with the boat.

"Luckily, we're going to be on solid ground this time. No boats, no hot air balloons, just dinner." Blaine smiled and opened his car door. Kurt moved to do the same. "Uh-uh. Sit your cute little rear in that seat and don't move." Blaine wagged a finger at Kurt. He got out of the Porsche and circled around to the other side, opening the passenger side door and proffering a hand to Kurt, who took it with a smile.

"So gentlemanly of you." He climbed out of the small car, and the two walked hand-in-hand to the farmhouse/restaurant. Once inside, Blaine smiled at the hostess.

"Reservations for Hummerson, please." Kurt laughed at Blaine's attempt to combine their names. The older boy turned to him in explanation. "I couldn't decide if I should put it under my name or surprise you by having it under yours." He shrugged, smiling. The hostess caught their attention and led the pair to a small table in a darkened corner of the restaurant half. It smelled of home-style cooking and flowers, and Kurt breathed deeply, savoring the odor. He had one hand in a pocket, twirling the small box around nervously. Their waitress introduced herself as Liz, and left to go get waters for the two. Blaine watched her go with narrow eyes.

"I don't like the way she was looking at you…" He broke off into a low mumble that Kurt assumed was colorful.

"It doesn't matter how she was looking at me; the only one I'm looking at is you." Kurt smiled at Blaine, who was across the table. Blaine glanced around, and after determining they wouldn't get any opposition, placed his hand gently over Kurt's. The younger boy's other one was still twitching the box erratically.

Kurt withdrew his hand from Blaine's just as the waitress came back, carrying two tall glasses of ice water.

"Will that be all?" She simpered at Kurt, who shuddered unnoticeably.

"Yes, thank you. We aren't quite ready to order yet." Blaine answered for the other boy. Liz flounced off.

"Ugh. What is that all about?" Blaine made a face.

Kurt laughed. "I was rather disturbed," A look crossed his face, "Gross, boobs."

Blaine bit his knuckle to muffle his laughs, which would have been entirely too loud for a restaurant otherwise.

Kurt blinked at him. It was now or never, before he chickened out. "Hey- hey Blaine? I have something for you…"

"Really? You didn't have to get me anything!" He grinned.

Kurt wrapped his fingers around the box in his pocket, but didn't pull it out yet.

"Blaine Anderson, you are, as cheesy as it sounds, the light at the end of the tunnel to me. I know we've both had our ups and downs, but thankfully we've been able to get over them together. Not to be morbid, but when you die, if your end precedes mine, I want to cut you into little stars and throw you up into the sky, so that everyone can see your beauty from heaven and forget about the sun. (2) I love you, and," He pulled out the box, setting it in Blaine's hand, "Would you take this promise ring as a reminder of everything we've been through and everything that we will experience in the future, together?" He pulled open the velvety square. A simple silver band lay in purple fuzzy fabric, the words "I Love Thee" engraved on the inside. Blaine's hand flew to his mouth, his brown eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"Yes. Oh, Kurt, oh, oh, oh, Kurt, Kurt, yes, yes yes yes. Yes!" He gingerly lifted the ring from its resting place and slid it onto his finger. He twisted his hand around to admire it. Kurt grinned and leaned over the table, meeting Blaine halfway in a sweet kiss, full of happiness. They were both smiling into it. Someone cleared her throat. They pulled away, annoyed, to see the waitress tapping her foot at them.

"Are you ready to order?" Her words were tight, curt.

Kurt looked at Blaine. "Yeah, I think we are."

After they ate, Kurt grinned at Blaine and looked toward the karaoke part of the restaurant. He pulled Blaine up by the arm and led him through an opening in the wall that couldn't really be classified as a door. The pair looked at the karaoke list. Blaine saw one immediately, and wrote down his name and Kurt's on a sign-up sheet. He pulled Kurt to a small, round table near the stage. A woman was singing 'According to You' at the moment.

"Can I get you something to drink?" A waiter in a crisp suit bent over them.

Blaine nodded. "Two waters, please." The guy grinned, showing gleaming, white, perfectly straight teeth.

"Of course."

"How far down are we on the list?" Kurt asked Blaine.

"Not far, maybe a couple people."

The waiter brought the drinks at the same time the DJ called out the next name. "Avery?" An older man got up, the first strains of 'Sweet Caroline' playing through the speakers. Everyone cheered.

Next was a middle-aged couple, "Luke and Sarah", according to the DJ.

"Kurt and Blaine?" Blaine grinned, grabbing Kurt's hand and leading him to the stage.

_Here we go again, I kinda wanna be more than friends.  
>Well take it easy, only I'm afraid you're never satisfied.<em>

Blaine started off the song, singing directly to Kurt and ignoring the small audience. Kurt picked up the next line.

_Here we go again, we're sick like animals, we play pretend,  
>You're just a cannibal, and I'm afraid I won't get out alive.<em>

Both boys sang, now.

_No, I won't sleep tonight…  
>Oh, oh, I want some more,<br>Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?  
>Take a bite of my heart tonight.<br>Oh, oh, I want some more,  
>Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?<br>What are you waiting for?  
>Take a bite of my heart tonight.<em>

The two were lost in each other, rocking out on stage and forgetting their viewers. Blaine sang the next part.

_Here we are again, I feel the chemicals kicking in.  
>It's gettin' heavy and I wanna run and hide,<br>I wanna run and hide._

Kurt took over for him, smiling behind the microphone.

_I do it every time,  
>You're killing me now…<em>

Their voices melded together.

_And I won't be denied by you,  
>The animal inside of you.<br>Oh, oh, I want some more,  
>Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?<br>Take a bite of my heart tonight.  
>Oh, oh, I want some more,<br>Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?  
>What are you waiting for?<br>Take a bite of my heart tonight._

_Hush, hush, the world is quiet.  
>Hush, hush, we both can't fight it.<br>It's us that make this mess,  
>Why can't you understand?<br>Whoa, I won't sleep tonight._

_Oh, oh, I want some more,  
>Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?<br>Take a bite of my heart tonight.  
>Oh, oh, I want some more,<br>Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?  
>What are you waiting for?<br>What are you waiting…_

_Here we go again,  
>Here we go again,<br>Here we go again,  
>Take a bite of my heart tonight.<br>Oh, oh, I want some more,  
>Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?<br>What are you waiting for?  
>Take a bite of my heart tonight…<em>

They ended three feet from each other, staring into the other's eyes. The people watching, which had grown during the performance, burst into applause. Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and bowed, the latter following his lead.

xxxxx

Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson sat side-by-side, holding their hands next to each other, fingers outstretched.

"I don't know, Blaine, I think it's gorgeous. You did a good job picking it out."

Blaine gave Kurt a toothy grin. "Really?" They both gazed at the light bouncing off of Kurt's ring, which was silver as well, but had tiny music notes carved into it.

The two were in their dorm room, sitting on the floor against Blaine's bed. They were acting happy, but unknown to each other, both boys were freaking out about the dreaded winter holiday, Christmas. It was now only a week away. Kurt was freaking out over the fact that now he had to get something that was even better than the ring. Blaine knew that Kurt would be doing this, and he was worrying over getting something greater than whatever Kurt was getting him.

There was also the matter of families.

Blaine wasn't exactly _dreading_ having Kurt meet his family, as they were all very excepting and lovely about the whole thing, but they were a bit… overwhelming. His parents mostly; Darren was quiet and usually very reserved. Mrs. Anderson was rather clingy, and she especially went out of her way to squish anyone new into their family as if they'd been there their entire life. Blaine wondered if Kurt was up for that.

Kurt, on the other hand, was worried about what his family _wouldn't_ do. He had asked for some alone time with Blaine on Christmas, but his dad didn't have as good a memory as he used to and Finn really couldn't be trusted to remember anything. And he knew Carole would do everything she could to help, but there was only so much you could do. The two's outer layer of manliness was impermeable to subtle hints and clues.

"Hey, Kurt, I was wondering if you wanted to meet my family this weekend. They keep asking about you." Oh, god, why did Blaine say that? Now they _had_ to go. He mentally slapped himself.

Kurt was unaware of his inner self-abuse. "Of course. I would love to." He smiled.

Blaine felt queasy. "Great." He smiled back, though he wasn't sure how real it looked.

xxxxx

The weekend came too quickly in Blaine's opinion. He nervously pulled at the sleeves on his sweater, noticing that it was sweatier and itchier than he remembered. Kurt emerged from their dorm bathroom wearing a green sweater and a smile.

"Ready?" Blaine nodded, but Kurt must have noticed the awkward look on his face. "Calm down, we're just meeting your parents. How bad can they be?" He grinned. Blaine looked unsure.

"You have no idea. Might as well get going; we won't make it for dinner anyway." Even as he said it, Blaine just wanted to run into his closet (no pun intended) and hide there until school was back in session. He sighed and grabbed Kurt's hand, leading him out of the nearly-empty building and to the parking lot, which held the same fate. The pair got into the car, Blaine glaring momentarily at the keys. _They_ don't have to visit _their_ parents… He shook his head, starting the engine. He pulled out of the Dalton parking lot and got onto the highway. His parents lived about half an hour away. The pair rode in comfortable silence, humming along when a familiar song came on the radio. Blaine began to recognize his parents' neighborhood, and started panicking.

"_What if they don't like Kurt? What if they don't like me anymore? What if something bad happens? What if, what if, what if?" _Blaine's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel.

"Blaine, watch out!" Kurt shouted, wide-eyed. The older boy turned his attention to the road, to see a huge tree looming up out of nowhere. He yelped and swerved the car back onto the road. He pulled over to the side. Both boys were breathing heavily, hearts racing.

"…Blaine? Can I drive? Because _what the hell_ just happened?" Kurt blinked slowly at the other boy, who just sat, frozen, with his hands on the steering wheel.

Reality set in. "_Oh my god_ we could have died, we could have crashed, what if-"

Kurt shushed the older boy. "Calm down. Nothing bad happened. It's over. All those 'could have, should have, would have, what if's', they're all gone."

Blaine sniffed. "You're right. I'm sorry. Maybe you should drive."

Kurt smiled softly. "I would be happy to."

They reached the Anderson household with no more altercations. Kurt stopped the car and waited for Blaine's cue. The other boy unbuckled his seatbelt reluctantly. Opening the door, he stepped out, Kurt following his lead. They walked hand-in-hand up the front walk. Blaine raised his other arm to knock on the door, but hesitated. Kurt rolled his eyes, smiling, and rapped on the door for his nervous boyfriend. Blaine glared daggers at Kurt. The younger boy just smiled innocently.

The door opened. "Oh, Blaine!" His mom flung the door wide. "And you must be Kurt!" Blaine's mom pulled both of them into a huge hug, in which neither boy could breathe and both just stared awkwardly at each other, as their faces were above her curly black hair.

Mrs. Anderson was short, barely reaching Kurt's chin, and rather resembled a large blueberry.

When she finally released them from her deathgrip, the pair noticed Blaine's dad standing just inside the door.

"Hello, Mr. Anderson, nice to meet you." Kurt said, attempting to get away from Blaine's mom.

Mr. Anderson stepped around his wife and shook Kurt's hand. "Good to meet you, too. We've heard a lot about you." He smiled.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Blaine, who shrugged. "Have you, now?"

Mrs. Anderson clapped her hands once, and ushered the pair inside. She led them to the kitchen, where a young man sat at the table. He turned at the sound of voices and smiled. Kurt did a double-take. This guy was _hot_.

The man in mention stood, holding out his hand to Kurt, who shook it. "I'm Darren. Kurt, right?"

All Kurt could do was nod. "Y-yeah." _Smooth, Kurt, real smooth,_ he scolded himself. Darren looked like an older, less-clean version of Blaine. He, too, had curly black hair, but it was longer, and loose. His chin had a dusting of stubble, and he was _tall._ Kurt realized that he was probably four inches taller than himself, while Blaine was barely one. His eyes were the same brown as Blaine's and his mom's, while Mr. Anderson had piercing blue eyes and short white hair. It wasn't long enough for Kurt to tell if it was curly. Darren and Blaine hugged, bringing Kurt's attention back to the present. It was a bit of a brain overload, his hot boyfriend -whom he loved- and a sexy older version of him. Together.

Darren gave Blaine a noogie, laughing when he protested. "I used to be able to do that without my hand sticking in your rock-hair." He smiled, exposing brilliantly white teeth.

Blaine glared at his older brother. "At least I don't have an unruly mop of hair. Besides, I'm sure Kurt would run out screaming if he saw my actual hair."

_Uh-oh ._Now the conversation turned to include him. _Crap._ "I don't know. I might like being able to kiss you without my hands sticking to your head." He winked. _Nice save._

Blaine blushed. "Um… Can we open presents? We need to go back tomorrow morning and it's already after dinnertime." He looked to his parents with pleading eyes.

Mrs. Anderson smiled. "Of course. Come this way, everyone!" She beckoned them back towards the good-sized living room they had passed by on their way to the kitchen. The four males followed behind her like a group of ducklings. Kurt's eyes widened at the huge amount of gifts under the liberally decorated tree in the corner. Blaine sat at the end of the couch, Kurt in the middle, and to the younger boy's embarrassment, Darren sat on the other side of him. The couch was small, and his knees were slightly touching Blaine's and about half an inch from Darren's. If either of them shifted… Kurt knew he was too hyper-aware to move anywhere in that direction.

A brightly-wrapped box was set on his lap. Kurt was honestly surprised. He hadn't expected to receive anything from people he had just met. He voiced this.

"Oh, stop, we wanted to give you something. It's not much, but we hope you like it." Mrs. Anderson smiled at Kurt. He unwrapped the paper to find a beautiful Marc Jacobs scarf.

"Oh my gosh! This is amazing, thank you so much!" Kurt ginned and refolded the silk, placing it carefully in the box and opting to keep it balanced on his lap. The light must have glinted off his promise ring, because it caught Darren's eye.

"Are you two married, now?" He asked jokingly. Blaine blushed again.

"They're promise rings, Darren. I always knew you were slow, but this breaks records. We're both underage, how could we have gotten married without parental consent?" He grinned teasingly at his brother.

"Oh, stop." Darren directed his attention to Kurt's ring. "That's gorgeous. I love the music notes." He grabbed Kurt's hand, unaware of the younger boy's scarlet blush, and held it up, examining the ring. Darren had calloused fingertips. From a guitar? Kurt thought back to what Blaine had said. He hadn't said anything about not w_anting_ to get married in the future… Kurt flinched when another gift landed in his lap. Blaine smiled expectantly.

"Blaine, you didn't have to get me anything! We already had the dinner, and the ring, and the resort. Lord, Blaine, I owe you like five hundred gifts."

The other boy pretended to contemplate the statement. "Hm, 'Lord Blaine'? I could get used to that." He grinned when Kurt hit him playfully on the knee. Kurt tried to stifle a yawn.

Mrs. Anderson picked it up and looked at a clock. "Oh, it's already eleven? Where does the time go? You two should get to sleep!" She jumped up and began gathering the pair's presents into a pile.

Blaine squinted at his mom. "What about Darren? He should go to bed, too."

Mr. Anderson sighed. "Not this again. Darren is 22; we can't tell him when to go to bed. You're being childish, Blaine."

Blaine stuck his tongue out. Kurt chuckled quietly. "C'mon, Blaine, let's go." He stood, tugging on Blaine's sleeve. The older boy got up reluctantly, attempting to follow Kurt sullenly until the other boy mentioned that he didn't know where he was going. Darren waved goodbye sarcastically. Blaine held his head up high and stalked off toward his old room, Kurt stumbling at the sudden change in speed. Blaine pushed open his door to reveal a queen-size bed with a twin bunk above it.

"Darren used to have the bottom bunk. I had the top. When he went off to college, I moved to the bottom. He sleeps in the guest room now," Blaine paused, "You can choose where you want to sleep…"

Kurt smiled. "I like the bottom. _Wait._ Did you set me up just to hear me say that?" He narrowed his eyes at the other boy, who was giggling quietly.

"Maybe." He grinned.

Kurt hit him playfully over the head. "What would you say if I said I wanted the bottom… _with you_?"

Blaine stopped laughing. "What? You- you- huh?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Your mind is in the gutter," He said in a singsong voice, "And you're supposed to be dapper…"

Blaine ducked his head so Kurt wouldn't see his blush. "I just… I thought… Never mind. Do you have pajamas?"

Kurt did have pajamas. They were an expensive designer pair. The pants were fuzzy and soft blue, and the top was tank-esque, blue to match. He loved them. Currently they were stashed in his satchel, sitting pleasantly on a chair. "Nope. I forgot them." He shrugged.

Blaine sighed. "Do you want to borrow some of mine? I used to just wear big shirts; I'm sure they'll fit you."

Kurt felt tears sting his eyes. "What?"

"No! No, I didn't mean it like that! Oh, Kurt, never like that! You're perfect! I swear!" He put his hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

Kurt pushed it off. "Stop saying that." His voice was quiet. "Stop saying I'm perfect. I'm not, you know it! Perfect is such a horrible word!" He sat down hard on the bed, hands over his face. Sobs wracked his body. He knew he was being ridiculous and overreacting, but he couldn't help it. Everything Nathan had said came back to him. He cried harder. Blaine made a noise and perched delicately next to the younger boy, rubbing his hand gently in circles on Kurt's back.

"No, shh, don't cry. You're too wonderful to cry. And when you cry, it makes _me_ cry, and then we're both just lumps of salt and water. No one wants to see that."

Kurt made a strangled sound that resembled a laugh. "I'm already such a mess; what's new?"

"You are not." Blaine said firmly, standing up. He moved to the closet, pulling out a huge, dark red shirt. He brought it over to Kurt. "Here. Put this on." His voice softened. "I don't want to see any more tears from you." He lifted Kurt's chin with one hand and wiped away the tears clinging to Kurt's cheeks with the other. His hand lingered on the other boy's chin for a moment longer than necessary. Kurt stood up and took the shirt toward the bathroom.

Blaine watched the door close and changed into his own pajamas, which consisted of blue plaid flannel pants. And nothing else. He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face with his hands slowly. The bathroom door opened, and he turned his head. Kurt stepped out of the doorway unsurely, clutching folded clothing and wearing nothing but the red shirt. Blaine could swear he felt his pupils dilate. The shirt hung loose on the younger boy, falling to almost an obscene length. The sleeves of the shirt reached his elbows. He tugged the hem of it down self-consciously.

"Um, it's a little… short…"

Blaine took a moment before he remembered to reply. "Uh… no, no it's not… it's perfect." His voice came out deeper and huskier than he would have liked. He stood slowly, as if in a trance, and stepped toward Kurt. He raked his eyes over the other boy, making him blush, before practically launching himself at him. Their lips connected, and Blaine's momentum carried them backwards onto the bed. Kurt fell partially underneath Blaine, and he knew that if they stayed like that he would lose all feeling in his right arm. He didn't care.

Blaine broke away from Kurt, merely centimeters from him, and inhaled deeply. "God, Kurt, you're so hot. No, no, gorgeous. You're _gorgeous._" He tilted his head back up to kiss Kurt again. He ran his hand down the younger boy's leg and pulled it over his own back by the thigh. Kurt groaned, sliding his free hand down Blaine's bare chest. The older boy's hand lingered on Kurt's leg, rubbing back and forth on the back of his thigh, slowly rising higher. His fingers stroked the other's hipbone. Kurt gasped against Blaine's lips. His hips bucked involuntarily against Blaine's, causing the startled boy to pull away abruptly. He stared into Kurt's eyes, trying to read the emotions in them.

"We- we should stop… If we don't stop now, I don't know if I'll be able to…" Blaine made an apologetic face. Kurt dipped his nose into the crook of Blaine's neck, nuzzling and kissing the sensitive skin of his neck.

"You're right…" He mumbled against Blaine. Suddenly, a slightly evil thought popped into his head. He poked Blaine with his nose, getting him to lean his head back to expose more skin. And then… he struck. Kurt bit down on his collarbone, hard, and then licked it in a soothing manner. Blaine yelped, glaring down at Kurt, who grinned self-satisfactorily. Kurt pulled his head back up and kissed Blaine on the cheek, pushing him lightly in an effort to be able to move again. Blaine got the hint and rolled the rest of the way off Kurt, who immediately curled up against the older boy, tucking his head onto Blaine's shoulder and wrapping an arm and a leg around him. Blaine sighed, lifting an arm to prod at the sore spot on his neck.

"It may be Christmas in a couple days but that doesn't mean I want to wear a scarf everywhere."

Kurt just breathed deeply and closed his eyes. Blaine sighed and followed suit, but not after kissing the top of his beautiful boyfriend's head.

xxxxx

"I _told_ you we needed to set an alarm! My parents are naturally nosy, especially my mom! We shouldn't have given her an excuse to barge in here at nine in the morning! Imagine what she's thinking!" Blaine made a death face at Kurt, who winced.

"Um… I can in fact imagine what she's thinking, and it's not very pleasant… Or rather, it's _quite_ pleasant, but maybe not for a mom…"

Blaine nodded hysterically. "I had no shirt, you had no pants, we were practically _spooning_, for god's sake, and I have a _bruise on my neck_! I'm never going to be able to look her in the face again!" Blaine buried his face in his hands. Kurt patted his back.

"It could have been worse… We may not have stopped when we did. Think of her face walking in on _that_!"

"Kurt, do you want to give my mother a heart attack?"

"Well, no…"

Blaine suddenly sat bolt upright. "Oh god… She's probably told my dad… and _Darren_. I will _never_ live this down!" He jumped up, pacing back and forth across the bedroom.

Kurt's cheeks turned pink. "She told… your brother?"

Blaine stopped. "Why do you sound like that?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, um… Just that it's… really embarrassing, because I… just met him…" Kurt's voice fell to below a whisper. "And he's kind of hot, because he makes me think of how you'll look in five years, if I'm lucky enough to see you every day that far in the future…"

Blaine's face softened, and then became mischievous. "You have a crush… on my brother…" He opened the door. Kurt caught his line of thinking a second too late. The older boy rushed out of the room, Kurt's fingers brushing his shirt.

"Blaine, don't you _dare,_ I s_wear to god,_ you will regret it!" Kurt chased after him.

Blaine skidded into the kitchen a second before Kurt. Darren was pouring a bowl of cereal, rubbing his face and yawning.

"Darren, guess who likes you!" Blaine said, grinning.

Darren turned slowly and looked at his brother through sleep-heavy eyes. "Who?"

"Ku-" Kurt caught up to Blaine, jumping on his back and slamming a hand over the other boy's mouth. Blaine spun around, trying to knock Kurt off of him. Darren watched the whole affair with amusement. Blaine pried the well-manicured hand off his face.

"Kurt does!" At this, Kurt scowled and let go of Blaine.

"Oh really?" Darren smirked. "And why is that?"

Kurt glared at Blaine before looking down to respond. "Um… Um, well, uh… Er… You're hot…? And you look like a future version of Blaine, and… um." _Wow, Kurt, eloquent._ He scolded himself internally. Darren burst out laughing.

He choked out a sentence in between bouts of laughter. "Wh-what? That's all? Honestly, it's like you were going to tell me you were pregnant with my child or something." He chuckled.

Blaine made a face. "Darren, you are _so_ weird. How am I related to you?"

Mrs. Anderson walked in. "Oh-oh, hello you two. Nice to see you… fully clothed." She eyed them both, causing twin blushes.

"Mom, we weren't-"

"Save it. Your dad is coming and I doubt he wants the dirty details." She set about making coffee.

"Mom!"

She turned to look at Blaine. "Yes?" She said, smiling.

"I-we- never mind. Kurt, what do you want for breakfast?" He turned to the other boy, who was attempting to hide behind him.

"Cereal's fine," He said meekly.

Mrs. Anderson's words finally registered to Darren. "Wait," He spoke, "You're saying you found them _naked_? When you went to wake them up?" He stifled a laugh. "_Seriously_?"

"No! I had a big shirt on and Blaine _apparently_ doesn't wear _shirts_ to _bed_." Kurt screwed up his face at his boyfriend, who shrugged.

Darren gave up on holding in his laughter and burst out, nearly doubling up from the force of the deep chuckles wracking his body. He dropped his head on the table where he was sitting, shaking the entire thing. Blaine stomped to his brother, poking him in the shoulder.

"What's so funny?"

"You- and mom- I can see her- her expression- and you were- half naked- and-" He broke into another fit.

Kurt blushed harder, pouring his cereal and sitting down delicately across from Darren. He munched quietly, looking up when Darren stopped laughing suddenly.

"If you hurt my brother, I _swear_, I will-"

"Darren." Blaine interrupted warningly. Kurt was frozen with his spoon halfway to his mouth, trying to compute the quick change of humor.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Ignore him."

His brother looked at him. "Hey!"

xxxxx

They were getting ready to leave the Anderson household, when Blaine stopped cold in his movement toward packing. "Oh! You never opened my present!" He scrambled around, finally locating it behind his backpack. "Here it is."

Kurt took the small package, smiling and carefully unwrapped the paper. Inside was a small picture frame. Kurt turned it over, gasping in delight. It held a picture of the two of them; one Wes or David had taken when they were in the balloon. Kurt had one hand on the side of the basket, the other resting on top of Blaine's on his own left shoulder. Blaine had his other arm wrapped around Kurt's waist, chin sitting on Kurt's right shoulder. They both looked so peaceful, and happy… Kurt felt a tear escape his eye, and it didn't go unnoticed by Blaine.

"Oh, no, you're crying! What did I do wrong? I can get you a different present…"

Kurt flung his arms around Blaine's neck. "This is perfect. Absolutely wonderful. I love you," He whispered in the other's ear.

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, kissing him gently on the cheek. "I love you, too."

**xxxxx**

**1. I honestly have no idea what the actual sentence would be…**

**2. Based off Romeo and Juliet, Act III, Scene something-or-other.**

**I-I think it's… over! I was going to write more, and possibly include an encounter with Hassen and another with Nathan. Should I put that in a sequel? Opinions? : )**

**Thank you so much for reading this ramble-y mess. It was a huge undertaking and remains the longest I've ever written.**


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